WORLD TRADE CENTER
by Uzumaki Fenix
Summary: AU... A field trip gone horribly wrong traps fourteen-year-old Alan Tracy inside of the top floors of the South Twin Tower on the morning of September 11, 2001. Rating may go up.
1. Part 1 Thunderbirds Are Go?

**Uzumaki Fenix Studios**

**And**

**Athena's Owl **_**Beta**_** Studios**

**And**

**News Transcripts**

**PRESENT:**

**[**_**Insert dramatic theme music**_**]**

**A Thunderbirds fanfiction of epic proportions:**

**Announcer Guy: A field trip gone horribly wrong traps young fourteen-year-old Alan Tracy inside of the top floors of the South Twin Tower on the morning of September 11, 2001.**

**Journey from the heart as we witness what happened that fateful day and what it was like to be trapped inside, to be outside knowing that a loved one is still trapped.**

**Join me now as we go deep inside the story of:**

_**WORLD TRADE CENTER**_

**[**_**Sad theme music begins**_**]**

_May God bless the many souls who lost their lives on September 11, 2001 at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and on airline flights 11, 175, 77, and 93. The courage and sacrifice shown by the FDNY firefighters, the NYC Police, and other NYC EMS will never be forgotten._

_History will always remember 9/11/2001_

_**September 11 News . com**_

**Alright, I'll also have actual news transcripts from on what happened that day and it will be in bold, **_**Italized**_** and Underlined. Some of the transcripts have been edited out so the story flows better…Just to let you know… for a full copy of that transcript, go to http:// transcripts . cnn . com /TRANSCRIPTS /0109 /11/ bn.01 . html just take out the spaces.**

**Another site I **_**borrowed**_** transcripts from was ABC. Com**

**Now, I may add my own transcripts, and they will be **_**italicized**_**.**

**Another side note. You know like, in some movies, there is a short, quick scene, then a flash, then another scene, a flash, and another…you get it? If you see –FLASH- that's what that is. If this note confuses the h*ll out of you, sorry.**

**Yet another side note. I may not get where the fires were located, and how much damage was given to the floors directly underneath the plane in the South Tower, but that is my bad. After all, it could actually be true, what happened in this story… If you have no idea what I just said, well…you'll figure it out…eventually… lol**

**I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THIS! I WAS IN THIRD GRADE WHEN IT HAPPENED!**

**Athena's Owl once again graciously Beta'd this story. **

**I hope, from the bottom of my heart, that you enjoy this 9-11 story with all your heart…And please review.**

**Now, on with the story**

* * *

**September 11, 2001**

"_It's a beautiful morning in Manhattan. The sun is shining and there is little fog. Those who work in skyscrapers will have a beautiful view of the sunrise…_"

_7:40 a.m._

**Lobby of the South Twin Tower of the World Trade Center**

Anne McCarthy stifled a yawn as she glanced at her watch. _7:40 a.m._ '_They'll be here within ten minutes... God, I hate children,_' she thought as she quickly made sure she looked perfect by observing her reflection in a pocket mirror. She wore a knee-length navy blue skit and jacket, neat and pressed. Her blond hair was tied up in a tight bun, her eyes piercing and sharp and she wore light, fairly natural makeup, with a contrasting dark lipstick that was delicately painted onto her tightly clenched lips. Her shoes, which added an extra two and a half inches to her height, were black.

After making sure there wasn't a strand of hair out of place, Anne put the mirror back into the purse beneath her desk and looked at the door to the courtyard impatiently.

A group of ten students from Wharton's Academy for Boys from Massachusetts were visiting the Twin Towers today. They were to be split into two groups so that five students would be visiting the South Tower while the other five would be visiting the North Tower. They were all sophomores in the age range of fourteen and fifteen with the bizarre exception of one thirteen-year-old. Both groups had been selected at random.

Anne glanced back down at the list she held in her hand and read it again.

"_Josh Matthews, Eric Santee, Bobby Jones, Issac Lawson, and Alan Tracy,_" she whispered quietly to herself.

_7:50 a.m._

**Courtyard between North and South Tower**

Fourteen-year-old Alan Tracy craned his neck to look straight up at the giant towers he stood between. Dressed in his Wharton Academy uniform, he looked rather distinguished, even with his messy blond hair.

"Isn't it a-am-amazing, A-Alan?" his best friend, thirteen-year-old Fermat Hackenbacker, stuttered. Alan looked down at him.

"Yeah. Yeah, it is, Fermat."

"Did you know that the-"

"You start listing facts about the towers again, and I _will_ strangle you."

Fermat closed his mouth. He had looked up, and essentially memorized, every fact he could find about the Trade Centers, and Alan, being his closest friend, had been the one he had repeated them to. Multiple times.

"Alright students! Split up into your pre-assigned groups!" Mr. Swan, a red-haired, plump man, called to the students. Though there were only ten of them, the volume of talking was such that he was not heard. He repeated himself in a louder voice; then again at a near shout. Finally a shrill whistle pierced the courtyard and immediately the students' attention was focused on him. Removing his index and middle fingers from his mouth, he glared at them.

"Thank you. As I was saying, while your attention was so very occupied with other more important matters, _I'm sure_, please split into your pre-assigned groups." With only a little hesitation, the ten teenagers split into the two groups.

"Alright," Mr. Maus, a bald, body-builder began, "let's make sure you're all in your right groups. No swapping, remember. Group one is Fermat Hackenbacker, Ray Pilot, Edward Bellingham, Roy Fink, and Alex Riley. You will be visiting the North Tower with," he flipped the page and quickly scanned the information, "Katie McCarthy and myself. Now, group two is Josh Matthews, Eric Santee, Bobby Jones, Issac Lawson, and Alan Tracy. You will be visiting the South Tower with Mr. Swan and Anne McCarthy." He looked up from his clipboard. "Group one, follow me."

Fermat and the other four boys followed the man. Fermat quickly turned around and mouthed, "_See ya later, Alan!_" before hurrying after his group.

"Great! We've got Thunder_terd_ Tracy!" a voice behind Alan said.

Alan turned and glared at Josh Matthews. Josh was a lean fifteen-year-old teenager with a big attitude and an even bigger ego. He had brown hair with thin blond streaks and honey-brown eyes. He took every opportunity available to make Alan's life miserable.

"And we, unfortunately, have Diaper Boy Matthews," Alan retorted. The other boys snickered as Josh's face turned red.

Josh started toward Alan, but stopped when Mr. Swan put his arm between them. "Enough," the teacher growled.

"He started it," Alan said, somewhat petulantly with his arms crossed.

"_And_ I'm going to finish it." Josh lunged at him. Alan deftly stepped sideways, forcing Josh to land on his hands and knees.

"Geez, Josh. I never figured you for ballet lessons. Do you take them every year?" Alan asked innocently, amusement dancing in his blue eyes.

Josh, however, did not share in his amusement, no matter how much the other boys were laughing. "You little-"

"One more word from either of you and you'll be taken back to the hotel," Mr. Swan said as he held back an angry Josh. "Now, let's get going, shall we? We have a tour to get to."

_7:58 a.m._

**United Airlines Flight 175 departs Boston for Los Angeles, carrying 56 passengers, two pilots, and seven flight attendants. The Boeing 767 is hijacked after takeoff and diverted to New York.**

_7:59 a.m._

**American Airlines Flight 11 departs Boston for Los Angeles, carrying 81 passengers, two pilots, and nine flight attendants. This Boeing 767 is also hijacked and diverted to New York.**

_8:00 a.m._

**Lobby of the North Tower**

Fermat sighed. He was upset that Alan wasn't in his group and that he wouldn't see his friend all day. But the disappointment of not having his friend in his group was nothing compared to the excitement he felt at finally being able to experience the towers after all his weeks of research. He looked up at their guide.

"Alright," Ms. Katie McCarthy began. She looked very much like her almost identical sister that was a year older, Anne, who was conducting the tour in the South Tower. She wore a red skit, jacket, and white high heeled shoes. "We're going to begin our tour with the lower levels then work our way up. My sister is going to start her tour at the top of the building and work her way down. Eventually we will both finish and meet up outside after you get your surprise. Ours is at the top of the North building while theirs is at the bottom of the South." She smiled sweetly. "Form a single file line and let's begin."

_8:40 a.m._

**South Tower, 77th Floor**

Alan yawned. When they had walked into the lobby of the South Tower, Anne McCarthy and her icy, fake smile met them. She ordered them to line up and get into an elevator which took them up to the top level of the tower and were now on the 77th floor.

Anne was now speaking of the history of the tower in a dull monologue-like tone and Alan soon found himself daydreaming.

_8:45 a.m._

**Down on the Streets a few blocks away from the World Trade Centers**

_**Men working on a water main, and arguing with firefighters over the water main, hear the sound of a plane flying low overhead. CNN cameraman records them. He follows the sound of the plane and turns toward the Trade Centers. All of the sudden, a burst of smoke escapes the North Tower.**_

"_**Holy shit!" someone exclaims as the North Tower explodes. The cameraman immediately focuses in on the explosion as "Holy shit" is repeated. A column of smoke rises from the tower. "Holy shit" is once more repeated.**__ [__Live video footage__]_

**North Tower, 10th Floor**

Fermat was enjoying himself. He found Katie's speech about the building's history exciting and fascinating, even though he already knew most, if not all, of it.

"Does anyone know how many people work on a single floor?" Katie asked.

Fermat raised his hand immediately. She called on him and he was about to answer when a loud roar filled the air, followed by a loud explosion that sent a massive shock wave down to the ground and up again.

Fermat stumbled and fell backward, banging his head against a desk. For a few brief moments, his mind was confused as to what had just occurred, but didn't have much time to think about it before falling into darkness.

**South Tower, 77th Floor**

"Holy SHIT!" Josh screamed, pointing out the window, as the upper levels of the North Tower exploded in a giant fireball. Smoke billowed from a gaping hole in the side of the building. _'Oh my God,_' Alan thought. '_Fermat!_'

While everyone crowded around the window for a better look, Alan backed away, raising his left arm and touching the sides of his watch. He then glanced down at it as the screen changed.

"_What the- Alan? Why'd you send the panic signal, Sprout? What's wrong?_" John Tracy asked, his face appearing on the watch screen. Alan simple took off his watch and faced it toward the scene of destruction. Hearing John's gasp of horror, he turned the watch back to his face and put it back on.

"John, I-I…I th-think we n-need h-help…" Alan stuttered in shock.

_8:50 a.m._

**Tracy Island**

Jeff Tracy sighed as he sat on a lounge chair next to the pool after his morning jog. Gordon was swimming in the pool, Scott was reading a book next to Jeff, and Virgil was playing his piano in the lounge. Well, he _was_. That is, until Gordon got up and put on a CD, which blasted the annoying, yet catchy, tune of _Ice Cream and Cake _from the speakers. Scott, who absolutely hated that song, got up, threw his younger brother into the pool, and turned off the music.

Jeff smiled, knowing that it was only a matter of time before the peace would be shattered and they would be sent off on another rescue. Tracy Island, no matter how beautiful, could never be called calm.

Sure enough, five seconds later to be exact, the klaxon sounded, sending everyone running for the office. Gordon grabbed a towel along the way as Hiram "Brains" Hackenbacker –Fermat's father- joined them.

"_Activating Command and Control,_" a cool feminine voice said as Brains placed his hand on the hidden keypad. The office began to turn, the desk sliding into the floor as another desk, with high tech keyboards, rose out on the opposite side; the seaview window was covered up by a long panel; and the large picture on the wall disappeared, being replaced by seven portraits, one for each Tracy and each with a different background color. This was the infamous Command and Control Center of International Rescue.

John's face immediately appeared, replacing his portrait. His eyes were filled with fear even though his expression was one of forced calmness.

"John, what's wrong?" Jeff asked. "Where are we needed?"

"_Southern Manhattan. Specifically, the World Trade Centers._" John's voice was neutral as he spoke.

Gordon smacked his forehead. "What did the Sprout do this time?"

"_Gordon?_"

"Yeah?"

"_Shut the hell up and turn on the TV to CNN. Then you'll see what happened, and it __**wasn't**__ Alan's fault._" John turned back to his father and said, "_Dad, we've got a major catastrophe on our hands._"

Everyone's eyes widened as Scott, who was nearest to the TV, turned it on. Instantly voices fed out of the speakers.

_**CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: This just in. You are looking at obviously a very disturbing live shot there. That is the World Trade Center, and have unconfirmed reports this morning that a plane has crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center. **_

_**CNN Center right now is just beginning to work on this story, obviously calling our sources and trying to figure out exactly what happened. But clearly, something relatively devastating happening this morning there on the south end of the island Manhattan.**_

_**That is, once again, a picture of one of the towers of the World Trade Center.**_

_**VINCE CELLINI, CNN ANCHOR: We could see these pictures. It's obviously something devastating that has happened. And again, there are unconfirmed reports that a plane has crashed into one of the towers there. We are efforting more information on the subject as it becomes available to you.**_

_**LIN: Right now we've got Sean Murtagh -- he is a CNN producer -- on the telephone.**_

_**Sean, what can you tell us what about you know?**_

_**SEAN MURTAGH, CNN PRODUCER: This is Sean Murtagh. I just was standing with the vice president of finance for CNN.**_

_**CELLINI: Shaun, we're on the air right now. What you can tell us about the situation?**_

_**MURTAGH: Hello?**_

_**CELLINI: Yes, Sean, you are on the air right now. Go ahead. What you can tell us?**_

_**MURTAGH: I just witnessed a plane that appeared to be cruising at slightly lower-than-normal altitude over New York City, and it appears to have crashed into -- I don't know which tower it is -- but it hit directly in the middle of one of the World Trade Center towers.**_

_**LIN: Sean, what kind of plane was it? Was it a small plane, a jet?**_

_**MURTAGH: It was a jet. It looked like a two-engine jet, maybe a 737.**_

_**LIN: You are talking about a large passenger commercial jet.**_

_**MURTAGH: A large passenger commercial jet.**_

_**LIN: Where were you when you saw this?**_

_**MURTAGH: I am on the 21st floor of 5 Penn Plaza.**_

_**LIN: Did it appear that the plane was having any difficulty flying?**_

_**MURTAGH: Yes, it did. It was teetering back and forth, wingtip to wingtip, and it looks like it crashed into, probably, 20 stories from the top of the World Trade Center, maybe the 80th to 85th floor. There is smoke billowing out of the World Trade Center.**_

_**LIN: Sean, what happened next? Does it appear to you that the plane is still inside the World Trade Center?**_

_**MURTAGH: From my angle -- I'm viewing south towards the Statue of Liberty and the World Trade Center. It looks like it has embedded in the building. I can't see, from my vantage point whether it has come out the other side.**_

_**CELLINI: Sean, what about on the ground or any debris that has hit down there?**_

_**MURTAGH: My vantage point is too far from the World Trade Center to make any determination of that.**_

_**LIN: Did you see any smoke, any flames coming out of engines of that plane?**_

_**MURTAGH: No, I did not. The plane just was coming in low, and the wingtips tilted back and forth, and it flattened out. It looks like it hit at a slight angle into the World Trade Center. I can see flames coming out of the side of the building, and smoke continues to billow.**_

_**CELLINI: Generally, is that a trafficked area in New York for aircraft?**_

_**MURTAGH: It is not a normal flight pattern. I'm a frequent traveler between Atlanta and New York for business, and it is not a normal flight pattern to come directly over Manhattan. Usually, they come up either over the Hudson River, heading north, and pass alongside, beyond Manhattan, or if they are taking off from LaGuardia, they usually take off over Shea Stadium and gain altitude around the island of Manhattan. It is rare you have a jet crossing directly over the island of Manhattan.**_

_**LIN: For our viewers who are just tuning in right now, you are looking at live picture of the World Trade Center tower, where, according to eyewitness Sean Murtagh -- he is the vice president of finance and eyewitness to what he describes as a twin-engine plane -- or possibly a 737 passenger jet -- flying into the World Trade Center. It appears to be still embedded inside the building.**_

_**LIN: ... eyewitness here to a loud sonic boom, she described, as she was sitting inside her apartment, and she looked up and saw the side of the World Trade Center exploded into flames and black smoke.**_

_**We are going to join another one of our New York affiliates, WABC for their live coverage.**_

_**UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... plane overhead, and then all of a sudden -- I thought it sounded kind of loud, and then I looked up and all of a sudden it smashed right dead into the center of the World Trade Center. A big flash of flame, fire coming out from all over, then all the bricks -- it's a huge hole right now. It almost Looks like the plane probably went through. I'm not sure. **_

_**UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Winston (ph), can you see -- are you on the north side there where the plane made contact?**_

_**UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I am.**_

_**UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, when you say a huge hole, one of our earliest witnesses, Libby Clark (ph), said not much of the plane came down off the building, much of it went...**_

_**UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, it went totally into the building.**_

_**UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's in the building, from what you can see?**_

_**UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right, yes.**_

_**UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, can you see if there is a lot of debris downstairs, Winston?**_

_**UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, because it looks like it's inverted. With the impact everything went inside the building.**_

_**UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Inside?**_

_**UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The only thing that came out was a little bit of the outside awning. But I'd say the huge -- the hole is -- let me just get a better look right now.**_

_**UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, go ahead.**_

_**UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'd say the whole takes about -- It looks like six, seven floors were taken out.**_

_**And there's more explosions right now -- hold on -- people are running, hold on.**_

_**UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We should hold on just a moment. We've got an explosion inside...**_

_**UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The building's exploding right now. You've got people running up the street.**_

_**Hold on, I'll tell you what's going on.**_

_**UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, just put Winston on pause there for just a moment...**_

_**UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, the whole building exploded some more, the whole top part. The building's still intact, people are running up the street. Am I still connected?**_

_**UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Winston, this would support probably what Libby and you both said that perhaps the fuselage was in the building, that would cause a second explosion such as that.**_

_**UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, that's what just happened then.**_

_**UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That would -- certainly...**_

_**UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People are running up.**_

_**UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are getting word that perhaps...**_

_**UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, hold on, there some people here -- everybody's panicking.**_

This all took place within ten minutes as the shocked Tracy's mouths hung open. Unbeknownst to them, it was now 9:00 a.m.

"_Yes, Alan. I'm patching you through- Sorry, but they were watching what happened. Dude! Calm down! You're patched through!_" John's voice, which sounded relieved, drifted over from his portrait.

The other's looked over at the portraits as Alan's was replaced with a live feed. His eyes were filled with a fear that spoke volumes and horrified the others. At once, the island residents started shouting at him.

"Alan!"

"Are you alright?!"

After about a minute of this, Alan finally told them to shut the hell up.

"_Yeah, I'm alright…mostly… I'm in the South Tower on the 77th floor…but…_" Alan closed his eyes.

"Alan?" Brains asked, speaking for the first time. "Where's Fermat?"

Tears fell from the youngest Tracy's eyes. "_He…He was…He was in the North Tower…_"

Brains eyes went wide as he collapsed onto the chair. The room fell into a stunned silence that was suddenly broken by the roar of plane engines.

"_Oh God. Oh crap. Oh friggin shit!_" Alan screamed as he looked away from the video screen. He visibly blanched as he continued to stare off screen.

"Alan! What's going on?!" Jeff asked, his voice rising a bit.

His raised voice brought Alan's attention back to the watch. Alan's eyes were full of tears as he whispered quickly, "_I'm sorry about being a pain in the ass, and I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused you guys. I love you_."

"Alan, what the hell-" Gordon began, but never got to finish as roaring sound got louder as he talked making Alan's voice almost inaudible. The sound of screaming metal came next along with the deafening blast of an explosion before the screen turned black.

"ALAN!"

On the TV, Scott had turned up the volume to find someone screaming on the live broadcast. "_Holy shit! Did you see that?! Another plane has just crashed into the South Tower! Oh my God!" _Another voice screamed in the background, "_This is terrorism! It has to be!_" Images of a second plane hitting the South Tower appeared on the screen.

Jeff, feeling his knees go weak, grabbed for the desk, not believing what he had just seen and heard. Gordon had stumbled backward into Scott, nearly knocking him over, while Virgil just stood still, blinking in shock at the television. Tin-tin, who had just come in along with her parents at Alan's last transmission, began to sob and buried her face in her mother's chest. Onaha and Kyrano quickly wrapped their arms around their daughter, both of them shaking.

Minutes later, no one knew for sure how many minutes had collapsed exactly –it seemed like years to them-, John, who had been staring in shock at his family and at his own TV on the station, quietly spoke. "_Dad…Dad, you need to launch the Thunderbirds. There are so many people trapped in the-"_

"_D-Dad?_"

Eyes widened around the room as the familiar voice of Alan Tracy was heard. Eyes turned toward his portrait. The portrait was still dark, mainly from smoke, but Alan's voice was clearly heard over the speakers.

"Alan?" Jeff whispered, his eyes filling with hope that his youngest boy may have survived the attack.

They noticed the image on the screen was moving ever so slightly until Alan's bloody face came into view. Blood covered the left side of his face as he spoke. "_Dad? Can y-you he-hear me?_"

Several deep sighs of relief were heard from around the room. "Alan, are you alright?" Jeff asked.

"_Why, yes. I am perfectly_ _alright… I __**only**__ had a friggin desk dropped on me! I'm still under the damn thing! I managed to protect the watch, though I have no idea __**how**__ I managed that…_" Alan's voice sounded stronger now than it had before. "_I also think I fell through a couple floors… Word of advice. Don't ever try it. Not fun._"

Gordon snickered despite the bad situation. He stopped, however, when Alan continued.

"_Daddy? I wanna go home…_" Alan's voice sounded child-like and scared. It was completely different from what they were used to and frightened them more than the plane crashing into the building did. Not much, but a little more than that.

It was those words that made Jeff Tracy want to reach out and touch his son before giving him the biggest hug he could manage. "I know, Allie. I know," he said quietly, but loud enough to be heard.

"Alan, we _are_ going to get you out and bring you home," Scott said, covering up the fear he felt for his brother.

"_Dead or alive, right?_"

"Don't talk like that, Sprout! We'll get you out!" Gordon exclaimed.

"_But will it be alive?_"

The others glanced at each other. "_Sprout, don't you __**dare**__ think that. We'll get you out,_" John said over his link.

"_Yeah, I know…But I could probably help if I could move…_" Alan's voice was laced with pain. Virgil noticed immediately that Alan was having trouble breathing, and probably not just from the smoke, and that his eyes were filled with pain. '_Why didn't I notice this before?!_' he thought frantically.

"Alan?" Virgil asked.

"_Y-yeah?_"

"Answer me honestly. How badly hurt are you?"

The others looked at Alan in shock as if they were just seeing how much pain was in his eyes and voice. Jeff's heart beat faster as he waited for Alan's reply.

Alan voice sounded weaker when he finally answered with a shaky voice. "_I…I don't know… The only part of me that is free…right now is my head…and my left arm…I…I can't m…ov…e an…y…th…_" Alan's voice started to fade away as his eyes started drooping and his head slowly fell forward. In the background they heard people screaming, swearing, crying, and calling out for help. But before the island inhabitants could scream at Alan to wake up, a sudden explosion filled the air and the screen went blank once more.

Jeff wasted no time. "Thunderbirds are go!"

* * *

**Well, there's part 1! Part 2 will be up soon… Please review! [and don't just say UPDATE the entire time! Lol. Jk]**


	2. Part 2 Witness to Collapse

**Now, before we begin PART 2 of WTC, I would like to thank these reviewers.**

**Little Miss Bump, IMME, xoxoFuture , guerrero, Midevil Liz, MiniMinx, BlueEyedAlchamist, and Thunderincrimson. Thanks guys and gals for reviewing so fast! **

**And, no. I do not own Thunderbirds…no matter how much I wanna… wah…**

**A big thanks to Athena's Owl –betaing-, and my Dad –who pointed out some rather obvious mistakes that I didn't notice. Mucho Gracias. **

**Any other mistakes I made, were MINE and MINE ALONE [I added a couple things after Athena's Owl sent me back the DocX…]**

**Now, without further adu [or is it ado?] I give you Part 2**

**Part 2**

* * *

_9:30 a.m._

**Location unknown**

"_Kid! Hey, kid! Can you hear me?_"

The voice sounded distant and unreal to his ears as the sounds of sirens filled the air, distant but slowly getting louder. The panicked screams of terror faded in and out of his consciousness as he struggled to return to the waking world.

"Kid!" The voice was male and filled with worry.

"W-where am I-I?" he stuttered, blinking as he stared up at the man, whose face was covered in dirt and grime.

"You're outside the towers. We rescued you from the tenth floor in the North Tower." The man smiled. "You hit your head pretty hard, kiddo. Can you remember anything? What's your name?"

"F-Fermat H-Hackenb-backer. I'm f-from W-Wharton's A-Academy in M-Massachusetts." Fermat looked around, eyes widening at the scene before him. People running in panic, police cars, fire engines, and ambulances filled the area. He couldn't find the one face he was looking for, though and it filled him with fear. "W-where's A-Alan?"

"Alan? Who's he? Was he with you?"

"Alan T-Tr-Tracy! H-he w-was in the S-South T-Tower! I-I b-believe he w-was on the u-upper f-floors!"

The man's eyes widened considerably. "Alan Tracy? Tracy as in Jeff Tracy?

Fermat nodded. "A-Alan's his y-youngest s-son." Fermat broke off with a series of coughs. The man slapped him between the shoulder blades, cursing incoherently about the dust that filled the air from the extraordinary amount of debris. When Fermat felt well enough to speak, he continued. "T-there are f-four other boys w-with him. W-we're all s-st-students at the s-school…We w-we-were on a f-field t-trip."

After muttering a curse, the man regarded him sadly. "I'm sorry, kiddo. If Alan was up in the upper floors, there's no way he could've survived. The South Tower was hit by a 767 up on the upper floors."

Fermat's face paled. "What?" he whispered in denial as he looked up at the towers. The smoke billowing from the towers was enormous.

"Fermat!"

Fermat turned and saw Mr. Maus, and the other students in his group, running toward him. Mr. Maus thanked the man, who quickly left, and knelt down next to the injured boy. "Are you alright?"

Fermat nodded and got up. "T-the o-others…"

Mr. Maus frowned and sighed, shaking his head. "We have to leave."

"B-but!"

"Hey! We can't just leave them!" One of the other boys, Edward, objected loudly. The others quickly voiced their opinions.

"Listen! We are being ordered to leave," Mr. Maus said tersely. "I don't want to leave them either, but we have no choice." Looking at the boys' dejected faces, he said, "I'm sorry, but there is nothing I can do. We also need to get Fermat to the hospital. He was unconscious for far too long for it to be considered a bump on the head." He cradled Fermat's head and neck with one gigantic arm and his legs with the other and started walking away, not noticing the reporter and cameraman -who's camera was aimed at Mr. Maus students- that were talking to the man who had been helping Fermat.

_9:35 a.m._

**Thunderbird 5**

John still couldn't believe what had happened that morning. '_An attack on the Trade Centers? Who would do something like that?_' he wondered as he continued to watch the news.

"_This just in, apparently a group of ten students from a school in Massachusetts were visiting the Trade Centers this morning. Five of the students-"_ John wasted no time in opening the comm. link to base and Thunderbirds 1 and 2. He then turned up the volume on the monitor as the female reporter continued. "-_have been evacuated from the lower levels of the North Tower and are being taken away as we speak._" The camera showed a bald, body-builder-type man carrying a familiar form. The kid, John recognized as Fermat, had a large white bandage around his head. "_The other five students, we are told, were in the upper floors of the South Tower when the plane struck and are presumed dead or trapped. Among these group of students in the South Tower is the youngest son of former astronaut, and billionaire Jeff Tracy, Alan Tracy._

"_Every attempt to get to those still trapped in the South Tower is underway as people on the ground pray for the lives of loved ones still trapped in either building. An emergency call has just gone out to International Rescue, asking for their aid in wake of this disaster. We can only hope that it will be enough._

"_This is Laura Maluway, signing off from Ground Zero._"

"_John?_" Brains' voice came over the comm. link as John turned down the volume. "_I-is_?"

"Yeah, Brains. Fermat's all right. He was on one of the lower floors." John smiled when he heard the family's friend's relieved sob. '_I…I just wish I could say the same for Alan…_' he thought sadly.

Whoops and hollers came from the other links as words of congratulations to Brains filtered through, but they soon died down as they remembered that they still had one family member trapped.

'_Please…Please, Mom…Don't let Allie be taken away from us…Not yet…_' John silently prayed. '_We wouldn't be able to take it if…if he…_'

_9:40 a.m. or there abouts…_

**South Tower, some upper floor between 70 and 75**

Screaming.

**-FLASH-**

Panicked voices.

**-FLASH-**

The smell of fire.

**-FLASH-**

The taste of coppery blood.

**-FLASH-**

The scent of death.

**-FLASH-**

The scent of burning flesh.

**-FLASH-**

Someone calling his name.

**-FLASH-**

Angelic colbat blue eyes open to see the familiar face of Josh Matthew staring at him in shock before turning and calling for help. More familiar faces appear as eyelids close, attempting to block out the pain and fear that was bubbling inside of him.

Shaking.

Someone was shaking him.

Weary eyes open once more to see the horror- and terror-filled eyes of Mr. Swan staring into his own. His mouth was moving, but the voice sounded strange. Distant.

Eyes closing once more.

Shaking continues and eyes open again.

Why won't they leave him alone? Why wouldn't they let him sleep?

Something being lifted off of him.

Agonizing pain fills him as the blood circulation flows freely once more. Someone screams in pain. It takes him a while to realize that it's _him_ that's screaming.

Voices telling him to calm down. That everything was going to be all right. That he was free.

Then, why was he in so much pain?

Sleep. You can't be in pain when you're asleep. Eyelids drooping. Screams fading…

"_Stay with me, Alan!_"

Mr. Swan?

"_Come on, kid! We're going to get you out of here!_"

Who was speaking?

"_Hey, Thunder__**terd**__! What, are you just going to give up? I know you're in a hell of a lot of pain, but you gotta stay with us._"

The voice sounded so familiar…

"J-Josh?" Blue eyes open once more to stare into relieved honey-brown ones. A sigh of relief is heard from some of the others as Alan slowly glanced around, staring into each pair of eyes: Eric's forest green ones; Bobby's dark brown ones; Issac's light blue ones; Mr. Swan's blue-green ones; and a stranger's kind, light brown ones. Each hovered around him, worry showing clearly on their faces.

"Man, you had me worried there, Tracy. When that plane crashed into us, you were thrown through two floors! We were all on the opposite side of the room and only had to make a detour through one floor. Mainly just a broken arm or two and a hell of a lot of bruises. You, however, were directly underneath the damn plane!" Josh said with a smirk. '_It's about time Tracy got hurt or embarrassed!_' he thought with glee.

"Are you all right, Alan?" Eric asked.

"Of course he's not all right, retard! He fell through two floors! _And_ had a desk on him and a filing cabinet as well!" Josh said.

"Knock it off, kid. Now is not the time to be arguing. We have to get you guys out of here," the stranger –who Alan now identified as a firefighter- said, gently picking up Alan, who cried out in pain. The man quickly, but carefully, lowered him back onto the floor.

"It h-hurts…" Alan whimpered hoarsely. His ribs hurt something terrible and his back was killing him. He knew his right arm was broken, but wasn't sure about his legs; he could barely feel them.

"Where does it hurt, Alan?" Mr. Swan asked, leaning over him.

"R-ribs… r-r-right arm … b-back …" Alan whimpered again.

"What about your legs?" This time, it was the firefighter who asked. Alan shook his head.

"I…I d-don't know…I…I can't f-feel them…" Josh's eyes widened in shock. '_God…I didn't think he could get this hurt!_'

"It h-hurts…" Alan whispered, his eyes slowly closing.

Mr. Swan shook his left arm gently. "I know it hurts," Mr. Swan said soothingly. "But just try to stay with me, okay?" Alan nodded slowly, wondering where the fireman went.

"Hey, Tracy. Just what were you doing when that plane struck? I looked back at you while you were screaming, and I quote, '_Oh God. Oh crap. Oh friggin shit!_' What gives? It looked like you were talking to your watch," Josh said. The others stared at Alan, wondering the same thing.

"T-ta-talking t-to T-Th-Thunderb-birds…"

Eyes widened all around. "Oh, come on, Tracy. Give it up. Why are you lying?" Josh asked skeptically.

Alan shook head and slowly raised his left arm, biting back a scream of pain as his body protested the movement. He looked down at the watch, which was still not broken and thought, '_Damn. Brains can make these things tough!_' Then he ever so slowly attempted to raise his right arm but found that he couldn't. Looking at Josh, he said with pleading eyes. "T-touch the s-sides of the w-watch. P-please…"

Josh, though hesitantly and skeptically, did as he was told. The watch started to beep and the screen changed. Everyone, save Alan, jaws dropped open when a face appeared.

"_Alan! Holy crap, Sprout! You trying to give me gray hairs before Scott?_"

Alan smiled slightly. "S-sorry, J-John."

"_It's all aright, kiddo. Dad and the other's are on their way in Thunderbirds 1 and 2. They're bringing Firefly, the Mole, the works…_" John broke off when another boy's voice was heard.

"Tracy knows the Thunderbirds?!" Josh exclaimed incredulously. "And who's this guy on your watch?"

"M-my b-brother, J-John. A-and I d-don't just know them." Alan's voice was getting stronger. "I'm one of them."

"_Not fully, Sprout. You still have training to do._"

Josh's, Eric's, Bobby's, Issac's, and Mr. Swan's eyes all widened in amazement.

"_Alan, who else is there with you?_"

Mr. Swan cleared his throat and looked at the screen on the watch. "I'm Mr. Swan, sir. I was one of the teachers who were supervising this tour. I have with me the five students who were on tour in this building."

"_Well, since you all know the truth, you must know that you can __**never**__ reveal any of this. __**Ever**__._"

They nodded and John turned back to Alan. "_Allie, I'm patching you through to Dad, Scott, Virgil, and Gordon. They're frantic. Oh, and I don't think you know this already, but Fermat and the others are okay. They've been evacuated from the North Tower._"

Mr. Swan and Alan both breathed a sigh of relief.

"_Alright, you're patched through. Let me just give them a word of warning._"

Just a few seconds after John spoke, the fireman appeared again, this time with a friend and a stretcher. They carefully hoisted Alan off the ground, after putting a neck brace on the kid, and laid him down gently on the stretcher. "We're taking you guys down in the elevator. We need to get out of here. Now, one of the other kids can come with us, but I'm afraid the rest of you will have to wait for the next trip or take the stairs."

Josh immediately stepped forward. "I'll go with them. I'm the only one who can keep Tracy riled up enough to stay awake."

Alan groaned in annoyance as Josh smirked. '_I'm doomed…_' Alan thought.

_9:50 a.m._

**Thunderbird 2**

The cockpit of TB2 was silent. Each pilot was in a world of their own as they imagined the destruction they would see soon.

"Thunderbird 1, what is your ETA?" Jeff asked into the radio.

"_Nine minutes, Thunderbird 2. You?_" Came Scott's reply.

"Around forty-three."

"_Dad, do…do you think he's all right?_"

"_I can answer that question, Scotty,_" John said.

"What do you mean, John?" Virgil asked.

"_The Sprout just contacted me. He's…well…he's alive._"

Relived sighs came from both TB1&2 and base. "_I'm patching him in now. But be warned, the other students with him, along with their teacher, know the truth. Seems Alan wasn't able to turn on his watch by himself, so he needed some help._"

"_Dammit,_" Scott said quietly. He would've gone on to say something else but was cut off by a familiar voice.

"_Dad? Dad, can you hear me?_"

"Alan…" Jeff whispered, tears coming to his eyes. "Are you alright?"

Another voice, not Alan's, responded instead. "_No, Mr. Tracy. He's not._"

"_Who is this?_" Scott demanded at the same time as John.

"_I'm Lieutenant Jerry Wheeling of the New York Fire Department. I'm escorting two boys down in the elevator. And I have a partner with me. We were told by the teacher who you were, just in case we needed to talk to you. Now, back to business. Alan's in a considerable amount of pain. While the rest of the group escaped serious injury, Alan wasn't as fortunate. He's complaining of his ribs hurting, his right arm, and…_"

"And what?" Virgil asked in a neutral voice that hid his fear.

"_He's complaining of severe back pains…He…He says he can't feel his legs…_" A man's soot covered face appeared on the monitor.

Eyes widening in horror, Jeff didn't say anything as silence filled the airways. '_Oh, God no! Lucy, please…Please stay with our little baby. Our little Thunderbird…Don't let him suffer this fate he does not deserve…_'

"_No, I didn't,_" came Alan's indignant reply.

"_Yeah, you did, Tracy,_" another boy said.

"_I did?_"

"_Uh, yeah._"

"_Oh…Oops… I can still feel them, barely, but I can._"

Virgil let out a relieved sigh. "It must have been the shock of impact that did that to your senses," he said, silently thanking the heavens. He heard Gordon give out an even louder sigh. Turning his head, he saw that his younger brother was pale as a white cotton sheet. He was about to get up and go over to him when his father spoke.

"We're coming, Alan. We _are_ going to get you out. _All_ of you."

"_We know, Mr. Tr- sir. We know._" Jerry said. "_Good luck._"

Alan's face appeared back on the screen. "_Hey, Dad. And, before Virge asks, I __**can**__ feel my legs slightly._" Virgil smiled at this. "_And tell Gordon to calm down. I'll be able to play water volleyball with him soon._" At this, Gordon smiled as well, a little color seeping back into his face. "_Oh, and tell Scott-"_

"_I'm right here, Sprout._"

"_Hi, Scott!_" Alan said, smiling in the video screen.

"_What is it you wanted to tell me?_" Scott asked cautiously from Thunderbird 1.

"_That I'm going to be flying Thunderbird 1 before long. She won't be just your 'bird for long!_"

Gordon let out at snort; Virgil smirked; and Jeff smiled in amusement.

"_You come near my 'bird-_"

John, from TB5, decided to intervene. "_Scott, what's your ETA?_"

"_About two minutes. Towers' in si- Holy shit…_"

_Four minutes prior to 9:59 a.m._

**Eight distinct explosions –sounding like the claps of thunder that would shake a house- within a four-minute time frame prior to the collapse of the South Tower. Meanwhile, people are jumping off of both Towers, trying to escape a horrible death.**

**The dramatic nature of the blast sounds, which occur in the 4 minutes prior to the collapse, certainly raises some puzzling questions. Since other long stretches of unedited pre-collapse footage from other angles have not yet been made public, it is not possible for us to hear if other recordings also caught these blasts. In other recordings from closer to the tower, though only short snippets are available, we don't see much of any indication that intense explosions have be registered by any people in the area. **

_9:58:20 a.m._

**Thunderbird 1, forty seconds prior to collapse**

"About two minutes. Towers' in si- Holy shit…"

"_What?_" John and the others asked.

"It…Words can't even begin to describe this, guys. Sorry, but I'm still trying to register this…"

"_That bad, huh? Hurry up. We need to get those people out of there._"

"FAB."

Scott's eyes were wide with horror at the scene before him. It was even more horrifying than on TV. Large, black columns of heavy smoke exited the two building from two gaping holes in the sides. The hole in the North Tower was higher than the one in her sister, the South Tower. What looks like tiny white sheets float down the sides of both buildings. Large flames were licking at the sides of both building as Scott could only stare in shock at the destruction before his eyes.

"_Scotty?_"

Scott was pulled out of his trance by his baby brother's voice. "Yeah, Sprout?"

"_I'm only talking to you…I don't want to tell the others…but, if…if we don't get out of this, can you tell our families that we love them?_"

Scott fought against his tears as he realized what his baby brother was telling him. "Yeah. Yeah, I'll tell them."

"_Scotty-_" Alan's voice was cut off by the groaning of twisting metal.

Scott looked straight ahead in horror as things seemed to move in slow motion. The upper portion of the South Tower began to lean toward the right and fall into itself. What looked like a large dust explosion enveloped the upper portions of the tower, then slowly, it seemed to suck into itself, following the tower as it collapsed, leaving only a trail of smoke in its wake. What looked like lava spewing from a volcano or confetti being shot out of a canon was smoke and dust as the building collapsed inwardly. Large columns of dust were thrust through the city streets, overcoming anything in its path.

"NO!"

His scream joined the thousands of screams that filled the city that day as people inside the South Tower screamed or breathed their last; people in their homes screamed at the loss of loved ones; people on the ground, civilians, military, firemen, and police officers rushed to escape the tower collapse and the giant dust cloud that followed.

Some didn't make it in time.

_9:58:30 a.m._

**Middle of South Tower, thirty seconds prior to collapse**

"Scotty?" Josh watched as the teenager that he hated talk to his older brother. He could see the tears falling from Alan's eyes.

"_Yeah, Sprout?"_

"I'm only talking to you…I don't want to tell the others…but, if…if we don't get out of this, can you tell our families that we love them?"

Josh's and the two firemen's eyes widened as they realized what Alan was saying. They were most likely not getting out of this alive.

"_Yeah. Yeah, I'll tell them_."

"Scotty-" Alan froze as a large groan filled the air around him. Everyone stared at the ceiling as another loud groan split the air.

They never knew what hit them. And they had never made it past the 68th floor.

_9:58:55 a.m._

**Down on the streets near the Twin Towers, five seconds prior to collapse**

**An unknown cameraman is focusing his News camera on the group of firemen five feet in front of him. The men are discussing options when a loud rumble is heard. The firemen stop talking and stare up at the Twin Towers just in time to see the South Tower begin to collapse. The camera focuses on the South Tower. Just as the South Tower is almost about halfway down, the cameraman turns and follows the others in an all out panic. **

**People around him are running for their lives as the camera is pointed downward, swinging side to side slowly. The camera happens to look back at the tower as debris falls. It turns forward just in time to catch a brief glimpse of the cameraman arm. The camera turns back to the ground, recording the black pavement. Civilian and firemen's boots are seen running behind the camera as the tower crashes down. The camera begins to cut out as the dust and ash fill the air.**

**Finally, it cuts out. The cameraman hasn't been identified and it is unknown as to whether he survived the cloud of ash.**

_9:59:05 a.m._

**On the ground around the World Trade Center Plaza, five seconds after beginning of collapse**

**Firemen, policemen, civilians, paramedics, ambulance attendants, and news reporters began running for their lives in a panic as the South Tower came down. **

**All around the city, people watch in horror as the scene in front of them enfolds. Screams filled the air that day as the first of the towers collapse.**

_9:59:10 a.m._

**Five blocks away from the Twin Towers**

Mr. Maus was still carrying Fermat as the young boy stared at the towers, mainly the South Tower. A sickening groan stopped the five students and teacher in their tracks. They all turned and watched in horror as the upper portion of the South Tower began to lean before falling into itself, sending dust and debris everywhere.

Screams filled the air as people began running for their lives. They quickly joined the crowds as they desperately ran to escape the giant cloud of dust, ash, and debris that chased them through the streets.

Seeing a store, Mr. Maus lead the students inside and pulled them away from the glass panels and dove behind a counter. They all watched in horror as the giant cloud of debris sailed past, shattering the windows and filling the room with dust.

'_Alan!_' Fermat thought in horror, his throat not working.

_9:59:30 a.m._

**Thunderbird 2, thirty seconds after collapse**

"_NO!_"

Jeff Tracy's heart stopped as his eldest son's scream pierced the quietness of the cockpit of TB2. '_Oh, God! Please, please don't let my baby be hurt!_' Jeff prayed as Gordon and Virgil froze and stared at each other, both of their faces pale.

"Scott? Scott, what happened?" Jeff asked, desperate for an answer.

There was none.

Virgil keyed into the footage on TB1 and Scott's face appeared on the screen. Scott was not facing the camera, though. He was staring at something off screen, whispering something that was clearly heard by those on TB2, TB5, and Base.

"_It's gone…It's gone…_"

"Scott?" Jeff asked again.

"_It's gone…_"

"Scott Carpenter Tracy! Tell me what is going on!" Jeff ordered. Scott finally looked down at the camera, his eyes filled with tears.

"_It's gone, Dad…The South Tower…It's gone…_"

Eyes widened in horror around the cockpit as the occupants stared at each other in shock.

"_It collapsed…_"

_Time unknown_

**Area unknown**

A low, barely audible groan is heard as blue eyes slowly open. Honey-brown ones stare into them.

"H-hey…T-T-Tracy…"

Alan's eyes opened wider as he saw Josh lying to his left, everything below his chest covered by a large slab of concrete. It was only by a miracle that it hadn't landed on Alan. A trickle of blood dribbles down the other boy's chin, splashing onto Alan's cheek. "J-Josh!"

Josh painfully smiled. "W-we've…g-got ou-ours-s-selves…i-into a…b-b-big…jam t-th-this…time…eh…T-Tr-Tracy?" he weakly stuttered. Every breath the boy took was agonizing and it shone in his eyes.

"W-wh-where are t-the others?" Alan asked in an equally weak voice. '_What the hell happened?_' he wondered as he waited for the other boy to answer.

"I…I d-don't…kn…ow… We…we…got…s-sep…ar…at…ed…" Josh gave a weak cough and more blood fell on Alan's face. "I…I kn…ow…that I…m…not goi…ng…to make…it…T…Tracy…"

Tears came to Alan's eyes. "D-don't th-think l-like th-that, J-Josh…"

"S-sorry, T-Tracy…" The dying boy whispered, "f…for e…ever….y….thing…I s…s… said to…you…" Josh gave one last shuddered, then lay still. Empty honey-brown eyes continue to stare into Alan's colbat blue ones.

Alan forced himself to look away from the empty shell that was one Josh Matthews. He found himself buried, from the waist down, under another giant slab of concrete. Lying across it was what he presumed to be a steel beam. He could still move his left arm, but when he saw the watch he let out a frustrated scream. The screen was smashed beyond repair. It was a miracle that only the screen was smashed and not his hand.

A loud roar cut through the stillness he had grown used to as the ground trembled violently. He could only let out a painful scream before everything went dark.

* * *

_**Author's Notes**_

_**[9:58:55 a.m.**_**Down on the streets near the Twin Towers, five seconds prior to collapse] -****That is actual live video footage that I described just for You! Another thing, when I said they didn't make it past the 68****th**** floor, it was true. Right before the tower collapsed, the elevators stopped working. [and I only learned this last night while watching **_**102 Minutes that changed America**_** on the history channel… Then we watched **_**WORLD TRADE CENTER**_**] And yes, the concrete covering Alan and Josh would most likely be from the upper parts of the elevator shaft. **

**Once again, please review.**

**Oh, yeah…I'm not sure when Part 3 will be up, for I am still working out the kinks…and adding some pages… so it should be out sometime this week. I SWEAR!!!!**

**Until Next time,**

**Fenix**


	3. Part 3 The Search Begins Day 1

**5**

**4**

**3**

**2**

**1**

**Thunderbirds are go!**

**IT'S FINALLY HERE! PART 3 OF WORLD TRADE CENTER**

**Hey, y'all! Yep, I'm back and with Part 3 of WTC. I've also created two special playlists to listen to while you are reading. The first one: playlist . com / playlist / 17866454795**

**The second one is located at: playlist . com / playlist / 17867788299**

**Just remember to take out the spaces…lol**

**Oh, yeah. On the second Playlist, listen to the first song very carefully. You might be surprised at what it is…lol…**

**Alright, Review Thanks to the fourteen reviews I have gotten for my story. The reviewers are: xoxoFuture , pinkyroo, IMME, guerrero, BlueEyedAlchemist, Thunderincrimson, Little Miss Bump, Medieval Liz, I heart movies 2345, CMT1992, moonlightbear, shadowfox8, bobbie3926, and MiniMinx. If I have forgotten anyone, please forgive me!**

**DISCLAIMER: No. Does it look like I own the Thunderbirds? If I did, I would hire Little Miss Bump to write a live action series…If she wanted to, that is… Don't worry, I would ask all of you to join in as well and we can make a kick ass show!**

**I'm getting off track. Back to the AN.**

**Oh yeah. I'm adding another character…who is actually a real person [my brother] only the last name is changed [for OBVIOUS reasons]. He's in the Air Force, so I felt that he would fit in this story. [You'll see why in later parts. Right now is just an introduction]**

**Alright, so, just for you, here is Part 3 of **_**WORLD TRADE CENTER**_

* * *

_**Part 3**_

_10:25 a.m._

**Thunderbird 2, arriving three minutes prior to collapse of North Tower**

The cockpit of the giant green Thunderbird was deathly quiet as they reached their destination. No one had spoken for over twenty-three minutes. Sure they had asked Scott what the hell he was talking about when he told them that the South Tower had collapsed, but after that…

What to say, they did not know.

Brains, from the Command and Control Center, had tried to offer his condolences to them, but it didn't help. Before Kyrano and Onaha had taken her out of the room, Tin-tin's loud sobbing also didn't help. Nothing had been heard from Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward or Parker, her loyal butler. They could only presume that either they hadn't heard or they didn't know what to say. The Tracy's prayed it was the latter for they didn't know how to go about telling two of their closest friends about the tragedy that had occurred.

After all, they could hardly believe it themselves.

"Oh my God…" Gordon whispered as they came upon the devastating scene.

One tower still stood, smoke pouring out from a gapping hole in the upper floors as papers rained down. On the ground next to the remaining tower was a pile of scrap metal and smashed cement. A column of dust and ash rose from the scattered remains of the South Tower.

"_Thunderbird 1 to Thunderbird 2_."

"Yes, Scott?" Jeff asked.

"_The nearest place I could find, that was big enough for you, is Battery Park. Now, you may have to take down a couple trees, but you should be able to land._" Scott's voice was neutral and very unlike him. "_The authorities have already said it would be alright._"

"FAB, Thunderbird 1."

Virgil carefully navigated his 'bird toward the large park, muttering under his breath about the trees scratching the paint on his 'bird.

Gordon knew he should be focusing on what they were about to do, but he couldn't stop thinking about the ruins of the South Tower. '_There…there is no way he could've survived that… He's already hurt…_'

"It's just not fair."

Jeff and Virgil turned to look at the red head. "Huh?" they both asked.

Gordon looked up at them, his eyes brimming with tears. "It's just not fair. Why Alan? Why anyone? Who would do something like this?" He couldn't help it. He couldn't hold his tears in any longer. They fell down his face in torrents as he continued to speak. "All those people… They were just innocent people! Who the hell would do this?"

There was a small bump as Thunderbird 2 landed on the ground, crushing a few hundred trees along the way. Sighing, Virgil finally answered his brother. "I don't know, Gordy. I just don't know. You're right. It isn't fair. In fact, this never should've happened in the first place," he said quietly.

John's voice suddenly came over the speakers. "_Holy crap! Is that really what you saw, Scotty? Is that how the tower fell?_"

Scott answered. "_Yeah…wait. How the heck-_"

"_Watched it on CNN_."

"_Oh. Well, in that ca- Holy crap!_"

"Scott, what's going on?" Jeff demanded.

"_The North Tower just collapsed_," Scott replied after a few moments of hesitation. "_Holy crap._"

Jeff blanched, Virgil shuddered, and Gordon stopped crying. "Please, please tell me you are joking," Jeff whispered.

"_Sorry, but, no, I'm not. I wish I was._" There was some more hesitation before he let out a small cry. "_Gotta go!_"

"What the- Scott?"

"_There's a giant dust cloud chasing me right now. Don't h…ve ti…e to ta-_" The link suddenly cut out.

"Damn."

Virgil and Gordon looked at each other before simultaneously looking at their father in astonishment. The looks on their faces were priceless. "Did Dad-" Gordon began.

"-just swear?" Virgil finished.

"I think-"

"-he just did."

"Will you two knock it off? Please?" Jeff's voice told them that he was more than a little annoyed at them.

"Sorry," they said at the same time.

Shaking his head, Jeff continued. "We got to get down there. And we have to take the Mole."

"But, Dad. Is that wise? All that's left of the Towers, according to Scott, is a pile of rubble. We could kill people, or shift the rubble too much and crush them. It's not stable!" Virgil pointed out.

"Don't you think I know that? Do you think I want to kill my son or any of those people that managed to survive?"

"_M-Mr. T-Tracy, m-may I s-su-suggest the M-Mi-MiniMole?_" Brains stuttered over the intercom.

As one, all three in the cockpit asked, "MiniMole?"

"_I-it's s-s-something A-Alan and F-Fe-Fe…my son h-he-helped me d-de-design… I-it is s-sm-smaller t-than the Mole a-and can na-navi-navigate q-quite w-well. I lo-loaded it on Th-Thu-Thunderb-b-bird 2 as a p-pr-prec-caution. I-I've run m-many t-tests on it, and it r-ran w-well._"

"Is that what you've been doing down in that lab during the past few months? Working on something that you wouldn't let us see?" Gordon asked.

"_Y-Yes…_"

"All right, Brains. We'll try it. Thunderbird 2, out."

Five minutes later, Gordon's voice echoed throughout the ship. "It's puny!"

Yep, they had found the MiniMole.

_10:27 a.m._

**One block away from WTC plaza**

'_Alan…is…in…there?_' Scott wondered incredulously as he craned his neck slightly to look at the heaping pile of rubble that rose to at least thirty feet off the ground.

"Sad, isn't it?" Scott turned around to see a firefighter, covered in ash and dust, standing behind him.

"Yeah…Yeah, it is."

"Man, my entire team was in that thing. I was about to head up as well but then… God dammit! How the hell could this have happened?!" the man practically shouted. "All those people…"

"I know, buddy. I know."

"_Holy crap! Is that really what you saw, Scotty? Is that how the tower fell?_" John's voice came over the headset.

Scott answered. "Yeah…wait. How the heck-"

"_Watched it on CNN_."

"Oh. Well, in that ca- Holy crap!" Scott's eyes widened behind the visor as he watched the North Tower begin to collapse.

"_Scott, what's going on?"_ Jeff demanded.

"The North Tower just collapsed," Scott replied after a few moments of hesitation. "Holy crap."

"_Please, please tell me you are joking_," he heard his father whisper.

"Sorry, but, no, I'm not. I wish I was." Scott's eyes widened as a giant cloud of ash, soot, debris, and who-knows-what-else came toward him. "Gotta go!" He and the fireman started running as fast as their legs could carry them.

"_What the- Scott?"_

"There's a giant dust cloud chasing me right now. Don't have time to talk!" The dust cloud covered them, and it was right then and there that Scott was grateful for the helmet he wore. It was as if night had fallen. You couldn't see a thing. Heck, you couldn't even see your hand in front of your face! '_Wow…It is really dark…_' Scott thought, then mentally smacked himself for being so ridiculously obvious. '_I can hear Gordon now. "No, really, Scott? I would've __**never**__ have guessed that it was __**so**__ dark!" Yep…That is __**definitely**__ something he would say._'

Scott slowed to a walk –no sense in running into someone or something while running-, trying to find his way out of the giant dust cloud. Then, about three seconds later, he turned on the infra-red system in his visor and saw a group of red forms ahead and to the left. Just many, many feet away.

_10:28:30 a.m._

**Five blocks from WTC Plaza**

"Is it over?" blond-haired Alex Riley asked, slowly getting up from behind the counter. The others followed his example, only to duck back down as another wave of dust sailed past. "Guess not," Alex said, answering his own question.

"No, duh," blue-haired Ray Pilot said.

Fermat just sat on the ground in shock, still not able to comprehend what was going on. '_This…this can't be happening… Not now…We were all so happy this summer…Why now?_' His thoughts were cut off by a beeping noise. Glancing down at his watch, he noticed that the screen was flashing.

"Fermat?" Edward Bellingham asked, looking at the youngest member of their group. "What's that?" The others turned to look at the young genius as well, each with a questioning look on their faces.

Fermat sighed, knowing that he would have to tell them. But just before he had a chance, another figure ran into the building through the broken windows. He was completely covered in dust, giving him a ghostly look. Well, wearing a round helmet didn't help matters much. But what the strange thing said, shocked everyone.

"Fermat?"

Instantly Fermat realized he knew that voice. How could he not? "Scott?"

The figure removed his helmet once he was closer to them, revealing the dark brown hair of Scott Carpenter Tracy. He dropped his helmet and ran over to Fermat, giving him a bone-crushing hug. "Are you alright?" he asked finally.

"Y-yes," Fermat cried, burying his face in the elder Tracy's chest, then pulling back, and coughing out the dust.

"Whoops, sorry, kiddo," Scott smiled.

The others behind the desk looked at Scott in wonder. Mr. Maus stepped forward. "Excuse me, but who-"

Scott sighed. '_Well, the people with Alan already know the truth, and now that they realize I know Fermat, they're going to ask questions and bug the poor lad… Better just get this over with._' Out loud, he spoke. "I am a member of International Rescue."

"Wait, I recognize your face. You're one of Alan's older brothers!" black-haired Roy Fink exclaimed. "You're a part of the Thunderbirds?!"

"Yes, I am. And…And so is Alan and Fermat." Tears threatened to run down Scott's face, but he managed to keep his cool as he mentioned his baby brother's name. No way was he going to start crying in front of them. Scott Carpenter Tracy does _not_ cry. Excited and shocked murmurs erupted from the others.

"S-Scott? D-did A-Alan g-get out?" Fermat asked in a meek voice.

Scott sadly shook his head. "No…" he whispered. "No…They…They were still trapped…when…when it collapsed…"

A sob escaped the young Hackenbacker as his body shook. "No…"

"_Scott! Scott! Can you here me?_"

Everyone turned to look at the helmet. Scott quickly picked it up and pulled out the headset, silently thanking Brains for making it portable –meaning it doesn't have to be attached to the helmet. "Scott here."

"_Scott, thank God you're alright. Where are you?_" John asked over the headset.

"Um…I'm not exactly sure…But you'll never believe who I found. Fermat. I found Fermat. Patch his watch through to homebase." A few seconds later, a familiar voice was heard.

"S-_son?_" Brains voice came over the watch speakers. Scott smiled as Fermat looked down at his watch.

"D-dad?"

"_F-Fermat!_"

Scott smiled as he half-listened to father and son speaking to each other. Meanwhile, he went over to the others and said sternly, "Don't tell anyone what you now know. You can't **ever** tell them." Satisfied with their nods, he turned his thoughts back to his youngest brother. '_Please, Allie…Please be safe…_'

His thoughts were cut off when he heard Brains mention something about a MiniMole and Fermat's squeak of surprise. '_MiniMole?_' he wondered, but didn't ask. '_Do I even __**want**__ to know?_' He looked back outside, surprised to see that the dust was beginning to die down, thought not by much.

_Time Unknown_

**Place Unknown**

How long had he been trapped down here? In this dark and cold place filled with dust and dirt? Where was he, anyway?

Tired blue eyes swiveled around, trying to take in all the…_scenery_. Broken pipes, scattered piles of cement, steel beams, ect. Not very…_pretty_. Or fun to look at. '_And don't even get me started on the smell!_' Alan thought in annoyance, wrinkling his nose in disgust. His eyes swiveled once more and came to rest on the still form of Josh. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't tear his eyes away from the empty shell.

He didn't know how long he kept looking at Josh, but he soon felt his eyelids droop.

"_Don't go to sleep…_"

Alan's eyes shot wide open at the voice. '_What the hell-?_" he wondered. "I must be hearing things. Oh great, now I'm talking to myself. This is just peac-" he stopped speaking when he thought he heard laughter. "W-Who's there?" he called.

There was no answer.

_Time? Who cares about the time now?_

**Area? Somewhere out there...**

"Wow," Gordon whispered in awe as they walked through the dust-covered streets of lower Manhattan.

"Wow is not exactly the word I would use, Gordy," Virgil said. "More like 'Holy sh-" Virgil's sentence was finished with a yelp when his father smacked him lightly upside the head.

"Language," Jeff warned.

"Sorry, Dad," Virgil said, then glanced down at the black and white frame of the MiniMole. The MiniMole was, as Gordon put it, _puny_. It was less than half the size of the actual Mole but -according to Brains- was just as tough. '_But it's just so…__**puny**__…Why the heck did they design this thing if it was going to be this small?_'

"Hey, uh, Dad?" Gordon asked. Jeff looked at him. "Where's Scott?"

Jeff stopped walking, wondering the same thing. Quickly touching the side of his helmet, he activated the comm. link. "John? Come in John," he said, praying that his son would answer.

"_John here. What do you need?_"

"A pizza!" Gordon called. Virgil smacked him upside the head.

Jeff paid them no attention but instead continued his conversation. "Do you know where Scott is?"

"_His exact location? No. I'm afraid I don't… And apparently neither does he. But I did hear from him. He said he ducked inside of some kind of store. You're never going to believe who he found,_" John said. Then, before they could answer, he continued. "_He found Fermat and his group._"

"Seriously?" Gordon asked.

"_Seriously. Fermat is currently talking to his father via his watch. He's a little shaken and injured from a bump on his head, but otherwise A-OK._"

"Good."

"_Dad, I do have a bit of bad…no…__**really**__ bad news… You know how tough Brains made those watches?_"

"Yeah," Jeff began cautiously. "They can handle up to five hundred pounds. Why?"

"_Cause, even though I am supposed to be able to always trace them, no matter what…_"

"John, where are you going with this?"

A sigh was heard over the mike. "_I can no longer trace Alan's signal. It went offline right after the South Tower began to collapse. It's gone._"

"What do you mean it's gone?!" Virgil cried.

"_I mean, __**it's gone**__. Meaning I can no longer locate it! Don't you think I've tried?!_"

"Calm down, Jo-" Jeff began, but was cut off by his second oldest son.

"_I can't! If the watch is no longer transmitting, then it was crushed! And if it was crushed…then…Alan…Alan's…_" A choked sob broke his sentence. "_Dad…I…I'm sorry…I shouldn't have gone after you like that…_"

"Don't be. I know you're right. Alan's…Alan's probably…de-"

"_Dad? Dad, can you hear me?_"

"Scott? Is that you?"

"_Yeah. I finally got my dang transmitter working again. How's everyone else?_"

"We're as fine as we can be, Scotty," Gordon said, keeping his voice neutral.

"_That's good, Gordy. Listen, I found Fermat and we are coming toward you right no- What the hell is that thing?_"

Everyone looked up to see Scott appearing out of the diminishing dust cloud, a group of students right behind him. In his arms was a protesting Fermat, who obviously didn't like being carried. Scott gently handed Fermat over to a man that was as tall as him and ran over to his family.

Jeff was shocked at the condition Scott's uniform was in. "What the-" he began, but Scott cut him off with a hug.

"The dust cloud," the eldest Tracy son whispered, releasing his father. "Smoke, dust, and ash are covering the collapses, shielding them from us."

_1400 hours [2:00 p.m. for you non-military folk]_

**Location: nearing upper Manhattan**

Twenty-one-year-old Air Force Security Officer Jeremy Hart was driving his white truck, heading for lower Manhattan from Maine –traffic had been a pain in the you-know-what- when his cell phone rang. Turning on the speaker, he answered. "Hello?"

"_Jeremy? Can you hear me?_"

Jeremy sighed. He should've known that his only sister, sixteen-year-old Tess would call. "Yes, Tess. I can hear you. What do you need?"

"_You're going down there, aren't you?_"

"If you mean lower Manhattan, then, yes, I am."

"_I would ask you why you were going, but I know you. You have to go. Doesn't mean Mom's not going kill you for it. Don't get killed._"

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence."

"_You're welcome._" There was a pause, then Tess continued. "_Uh, oh. Mom's coming. Better go before she figures out I'm talking to you and tells you to come home._"

"Bye, Tess." There was a -click- as the call ended. Jeremy smiled. '_Yep. That's Tess,_' he thought in amusement.

Suddenly, he put on the brakes as a policeman stepped in front of his truck. Then the man came over to the driver side window. "No one is allowed in here. Go home."

"I'm Security Officer Jeremy Hart of the U.S. Air Force. I'm here to help."

"I'll need to see some ID before I let you pass," the man said skeptically.

Jeremy handed the man his ID and dog tags, proving that he was who he said he was. The man nodded, gave them back, and waved him through. Jeremy nodded and continued on his way.

_3:00 p.m._

**The rubble that was once the World Trade Center Twin Towers**

Walking amongst the rubble of the once proud Twin Towers, Gordon felt like crying. It wasn't the first time, either. All aftern- No. Scratch that. From the time Alan's call had first come in, he had felt like crying. He did, too.

Gordon's thoughts shifted to the encounter he had had around thirty minutes ago. It was around 2:30 p.m. when a stranger had appeared in a white truck. The man, who appeared to be in his early twenties, got out and walked toward the IR operatives. He wore a camouflage military uniform and black boots. The man had held out his hand to Jeff, who stared at it, wondering what he was doing. "Air Force Security Officer Jeremy Hart. I'm here to help." It was at that that Jeff took the man's hand and shook it, saying thank you. Then they had all split up and began the search for survivors.

Now, walking across the rubble didn't help matters. Stepping on broken glass, steel rods and beams, and giant slabs of concrete was making him sick. He could imagine that his brothers were feeling the same way. He could see them, walking across the rubble as well, the MiniMole left on the ground for now until it was needed. There was no sense in bringing it up here, considering it was really heavy and would end up crushing someone who could be stuck underneath. '_There's no way anyone could've survived this…_' he thought. '_Oh, God…This isn't right! This never should've-_'

"Help! Somebody help me!"

Gordon froze, wondering if he had just heard a voice. He waited a few more seconds, then continued moving, believing he had imagined it.

"Help! Somebody! Anybody! Please, help me!"

Gordon stopped, this time positive he had heard something. It was a young male voice. Gordon quickly pulled out a flashlight. "Keep yelling!"

The yells continued and finally Gordon pinpointed where the yells were coming from. Shining his light through a break in debris, he located a teenager's face roughly fifteen feet below his current position. His eyes widened as he saw-

"Alan?"

* * *

**OMG! I'm so evil! A major cliffhanger! Did Gordon find his brother?**

**Please, Please don't murder me! Yes, I know this took forever to get out. AND it was SHORT! I'm sorry. I know how I want to end this story, I'm just having a little trouble getting there… Yes, I know. I'm hopeless. But, I do put out suspenseful stories! Oh, yeah! Guess what! **_**The Apologize Saga: Part 4: Leaving**_** will be out hopefully by Sunday or Monday! It's going to be one of the longest ones I have written! So, enjoy!**

**Forever Fenix**

**And, like I said before, Jeremy will be playing a major role in the story later on! Hopefully I can get this story finished before he has to go on his last Tour. [He thinks it might be Afghanistan]**


	4. Part 4 Survivor

"_It's like God made a curtain with the smoke, shielding us from what we're not yet ready to see."_

Dave Karnes, US Marines. Quote from "_World Trade Center_" the 2006 movie.

**Yeah, that's from the actual MOVIE "**_**World Trade Center**_**". Just thought it was a nice quote and I meant to add it to Part 3, but…I forgot…*sheepish grin***

**Thank you to all my reviewers! Your reviews are touching! And some of you are good guessers and many of you are going to be very mad at me for this Part.**

**And another thing, ****Penny and**** Parker may or may not play a major role in this story. You can tell me if you want them to appear, or just want them to say something.**

**And one more thing [everyone groans. Someone yells, "GET ON WITH IT"] There will be many scenes featuring what is going to happen in the first part of this part, but they will be from different characters.**

**And a big thanks goes out to **_**Shadowfox8 **_**for betaing!!!! BIG THANK YOU!!!!!!**

**I OWN NOTHING! NOTHING I TELL YOU!!!!! LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!!**

**Now, I think I've made you wait long enough. Prepare for the horrors that is Part 4.**

* * *

_**Part 4**_

_3:07 p.m._

**At the rubble that was once the North Tower…or was it the South?**

Jeff hid his fears well beneath his helmet. As he walked across the rubble, calling "International Rescue! If you can hear me, yell or tap!" as he went. He swept his flashlight around -it was getting dark with all the smoke, dust, and soot still rising into the air- and forced his tears down as his thoughts turned once again to his youngest. The memory of the day Alan had arrived back on the island three days ago with Penny still fresh in his mind.

**Flashback**

_Jeff Tracy had just received a confusing call from Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward, who said that she and Parker were making an unscheduled stop at Tracy Island and that they were almost there. When he had questioned her as to why, she had just smiled and said goodbye, leaving him even more confused than he had been at the beginning of the conversation._

_Running a hand through his hair, he called his four stay-at-home sons, Scott, John, Virgil, and Gordon, and his best friend, Brains. He told them that Lady P was coming for a visit. They, too, were confused by this information._

"_But, why, Dad?" Scott questioned._

_Jeff shrugged. "I really don't know. But we better go and meet them down by the runway." The others nodded and together, they made their way down to the landing strip; not knowing that Wharton's Academy had called a few minutes after they had left. _

_They got to the runway just as the pink car, FAB-1, made its way downward, landing gracefully on the runway. Its wings retracted, and the car came to a stop._

_Parker was the first one out of the fabulous pink car, walked around to the side, and opened the back doors. Jeff began walking towards the pink car, expecting to see Penny stepping out, only to be surprised when Fermat stepped out, followed by Penny, and…_

"_Alan?!" Jeff exclaimed when he saw his son exiting the vehicle. Alan ran towards his father and gave him a bear hug. By this time the others had gotten over their shock and had run over to them. Brains enveloped his son in a giant hug._

_After each brother had greeted the baby of the family, Jeff finally had the chance to ask his youngest son what the heck he was doing there._

_Alan's face took on a serious expression, one that made Jeff sigh, wondering what his son had done this time. "Didn't you hear from Wharton's?" Alan asked. " They said they would call before we got here."_

_Fermat quietly snickered._

"_No," Jeff said cautiously._

"_You didn't blow up another school, did you, Sprout?" Gordon asked._

"_No, but I did start a food fight in the cafeteria."_

_Jeff frowned at his son, while the others snickered; Penny and Parker smiled._

_Alan, seeing his father's expression, quickly put up his hands and said, "I'm kidding! But, seriously, you want to know what Fermat and I are doing here?"_

"_No, Sprout. All we want to know is why you're here," Virgil said dramatically. Alan glared at him._

"_Wow, Virge, the dramatic way you did that? You deserve an Oscar!"_

_His face bright red, Virgil forced himself to bite back an angry retort as the others started laughing._

"_Alan, darling, I believe it would be for the best if you told them why you were here, now?" Lady Penelope gently reminded._

"_Oh, right!" Alan exclaimed. Clearing his throat in a very dramatic fashion, he said, "Well, you know how I told you about the field trip Wharton's was sponsoring? The one where ten students would be chosen at random?" Seeing their confused faces, he groaned. " I __**knew**__ there was something I forgot to tell you!"_

"_G-Get on w-w-with it, A-Alan," Fermat snickered, louder this time. Everyone, save Penny and Parker, glanced at the young boy in puzzlement. _

"_Oh, all right. Well, they announced the ten names, and Fermat and I were one of them! We're going to the World Trade Center Twin Towers in New York!"_

_Shocked silence met his words, before Gordon came over and gave his only younger brother a hug. "Way to go, Al!"_

_More words of congratulations echoed him. After a couple minutes, Scott stated, "But that doesn't explain what you're doing here, Sprout."_

"_Don't call me- oh, never mind. You guys are going to keep calling me that, no matter what I say. So, I might as well save myself the trouble." Alan smirked, then continued. "As to why we are here, the ten students were given three days off, before the weekend, so that we could get ready. After all, we're going to be spending a week in New York."_

**End Flashback**

'_Why? Why did I let him go?_' Jeff wondered.

"Dad?"

Jeff opened his eyes, returning to the present, and saw John walking toward him. "John?" He was a bit confused, then remembered that John had arrived about fifteen minutes ago.

John went over to his father, and -quickly glancing around, and seeing no one nearby- he gave his father a hug. Jeff, startled for a moment, quickly returned the embrace. He could feel his second eldest son shaking slightly. After what seemed like hours, which were only mere minutes, they broke apart.

"Scott told me that you would be up here," John said while pulling off his helmet, showing his red rimmed blue eyes and tear streaked cheeks.

Jeff was just taking off his helmet as well, when his wrist vibrated. He looked down at his watch and turned it on. "Jeff, here," he said at the same time John said, "John, here." Then they heard the others answering as well.

Gordon began talking over the watch, Jeff found himself half-listening. That is, until he heard Gordon's startled cry and Virgil's scream.

_3:08 p.m._

**With Gordon**

"Alan?"

A cough was heard from the teenager. "N-No! I'm Eric! E-Eric Santee! I'm one of the students from Wharton's. I was inside the South Tower. I'm pinned beneath something, but…" There was a pause, then the boy continued. "What the hell happened?"

A single tear streaked Gordon's cheek as he realized that he had _not_ found his baby brother. '_I don't have the time to deal with my feelings. I have to get the kid out of there!_' he thought. Out loud, he called down, "I'm from International Rescue! I'm here to help."

"Are you one of Alan's older brothers?" Eric asked after some hesitation.

Gordon swallowed his tears. "Yeah…Yeah, I am. I'm Gordon," he said, pulling off his helmet.

More coughing was heard. "I-Is Alan alright?"

Gordon hesitated before answering. "I…I don't know. He didn't get out before the towers collapsed."

"He didn't ge- Wait. What? What did you just say?"

Gordon didn't hear him as he contacted the others via watch. A chorus of names and "here" was heard.

"This is Gordon. I've just found one of the Wharton students. He's still alive, but is currently pinned about fifteen feet below me. I'm about in the middle of the…uh… Well… I don't know which rubble exactly. It all looks the same to me."

"_Gordon,_" John said. Gordon was confused for a minute before remembering that Brains had gone up in Thunderbird 3 and brought John down. John had then flown TB3 to Battery Park and had joined them all in the search. "_I'm placing you at the opposite side of the plaza… Near the Marriott Hotel._"

"Well, I do see the Marriott. Wow. Not a pretty picture. I sure as hell hope that nobody was in there," Gordon whispered, shaking his head, as he looked at the semi-crushed building.

"_They got it evacuated. Thank God,_" Scott cut in.

"_Not completely, you know. There were some people trapped inside of the lower levels, but they escaped from it after the North Tower collapsed,_" Virgil added.

"Guys, I need some help over here," Gordon interrupted.

"_I'm near to you, Gordy. I'll be there in…well… ten minutes,_" Virgil said. Gordon turned, looked around, and saw his older brother in the distance, walking towards him. He waved. Then, feeling rather foolish, put his hand down.

"_Gordon, is there anyone else with him?_" his father asked.

Gordon looked away from the watch. "Hey!" he called down. "Eric! Is anyone else down there with you?"

The boy opened his mouth in order to answer, but his reply was stopped when the rubble beneath the redheaded Tracy suddenly shifted downward, pulling Gordon down with it. Gordon let out a startled cry as his arms were thrown upward before his head smacked a large piece of a steel beam and he fell into darkness.

He never heard his father' and brother's cries, nor did he hear Eric's screams as debris rained down on the blond teenager.

"_GORDON!_"

_3:09 p.m._

**Near the half-standing Trade Center Tower 4: With Virgil**

Virgil Tracy felt sick as he walked amongst the broken glass and rubble. '_How could this happen? Why today? Couldn't they wait to do this until Alan was- shut up, Virgil! I can't believe I just thought that!_' he yelled at himself mentally. '_All those people… Moms and Dads, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, grandmas and grandpas, aunts and uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews…_

'_There's no way that this can be real. It has to be a dream. But it's not and never will be. Nothing will ever be the same again_.' Tears fell down the middle Tracy's face as he came across a woman's high-heel shoe, covered in dust, but no longer attached to its owner.

Virgil forced himself to look away. His eyes wandered until they landed on the distant form of his younger brother, Gordon. '_Is…Is he talking to someone?_' he wondered, seeing that Gordon was slightly hunched over and was taking off his helmet. '_What the hell?_' Virgil immediately began walking towards his younger brother, taking off his helmet as went.

Just as he had covered about a quarter of the distance between him and his brother when his wrist vibrated. Glancing down at his watch, he answered. "Virgil, here."

"_This is Gordon. I've just found one of the Wharton students. He's still alive, but is currently pinned about fifteen feet below me. I'm about in the middle of the…uh… Well… I don't know which rubble exactly. It all looks the same to me."_

"_Gordon,_" John said. Virgil suddenly remembered that Brains had picked up John, who then took Brains back to the island and flew to Ground Zero. "_I'm placing you at the opposite side of the plaza… Near the Marriott Hotel._"

"_Well, I do see the Marriott. Wow. Not a pretty picture. I sure as hell hope that nobody was in there,"_ Gordon whispered, shaking his head.

"_They got it evacuated. Thank God,_" Scott cut in.

"Not completely, you know. There were some people trapped inside of the lower levels, but they escaped from it after the North Tower collapsed," Virgil added.

"_Guys, I need some help over here,"_ Gordon interrupted.

"I'm near to you, Gordy. I'll be there in…well… ten minutes," Virgil said. He saw Gordon turn and wave at him. Virgil smiled and shook his head.

"_Gordon, is there anyone else with him?_" his father asked.

"_Hey!"_ he was heard calling. "_Eric! Is anyone else down there with you?_"

Suddenly, he heard Gordon let out a startled cry. Virgil looked up in time to see his younger brother disappearing into the rubble. He glanced back down at the watch just in time to see the image finally stop changing enough to show a steel beam covered in blood. _Fresh_ blood.

"GORDON!" he screamed. "Dad! Gordon's down! He's fallen into the rubble!"

_3:12 p.m._

**A little ways away from Ground Zero: With Scott**

It had to be a dream. But he knew that it wasn't. He had seen the South Tower collapse. He had seen the fear in his baby brother's eyes as Alan told him to tell their families that they loved them. Then… there was nothing. Not even static. God knows how many times he tried to get his baby brother to answer again, but the screen remained dark…

His heart had been torn out at that moment as the tower collapsed, taking his severely injured brother with it. He was surprised that he had even been able to scream and answer his family's seemingly never ending questions as to what the hell happened. Then, silence had filled the airways as he brought Thunderbird 1 in for a landing at the nearest empty space, which just happened to be a park. He sat in the cockpit for what seemed like years, but was only ten minutes. Then, he had finally managed to force himself to get up and get out of his 'bird and walk towards the smoldering ruins of the South Tower.

He stood in a daze, hundreds of people passing him as he stood. Most of them- Heck! All of them were covered in dust and soot. All were coughing and trying to breathe as they made their ways out of the giant dust cloud. Each and every one of them had a haunted look in their eyes. Men, women; firefighters, paramedics; policemen and women…

It was enough to make a man cry. But Scott couldn't. He wasn't able to. He wouldn't cry until they found his baby brother, one way or another. No matter how long it would take, they _would_ bring Alan home.

Some of those who were walking past him glared; some with sorrow, some with anger. It was as if they were blaming him for how things had turned out. He wanted to scream at them. He wanted to tell them that they weren't the only ones suffering. He wanted to tell them that he, too, had a loved one trapped amongst the rubble. His baby brother… '_Allie… Oh, Allie… I'm going to bring you home… I made a promise, and I'm going to keep it. You __**are**__ coming home._'

His thoughts were interrupted when his watch started vibrating. He took off his helmet and responded. Hearing Gordon's voice rather surprised him, but not as much as when Gordon mentioned that he had found one of the Wharton students. He then proceeded to listen with perfect attention, but he found his gaze shifting from the watch to the many people that were still walking the streets.

About a minute later, he heard Gordon let out a surprised yelp, before the screen went silent. Then his family had begun screaming Gordon's name, and Virgil had shouted something about the redhead falling into the rubble.

Scott couldn't move fast enough. Spotting a group of firemen sitting on a couch in the middle of the sidewalk, he quickly ran over to them. "Hey! My teammate just called in! He found someone alive! But then, before he could find out if anyone was down there with the kid, he fell down into the rubble!"

The group of firemen immediately stood. "Let's go!"

"Wait! We need to bring the MiniMole!"

Eyes turned toward the IR member. "MiniMole?" one fireman asked.

"Trust me, you may not want to know."

A couple of moments later, another fireman said, "It's puny!"

_Time Unknown_

**Place? Somewhere in the rubble that was once the South Tower**

Pain. So much pain. His right arm throbbed and what little feeling he had in his legs was slowly ebbing away. That scared him. No. Scratch that. It _terrified_ him.

"Is this what Gordy felt like? Feeling absolutely powerless?" he asked no one. "Is this what the Hood felt like? Trapped in that diamond mind, waiting for a rescue that was never going to come?" Alan never thought that he was ever going to one day understand what the Hood had gone through when he had been left behind. Once more, his father's words echoed in his head.

"_You can't save everyone. It doesn't matter how hard you try or how brave you are. Even if is someone you love and you would give your life for in an instant. You just can't save everyone._"

"Am I going to be left behind, too? Am I going to be the one they couldn't save? Am I going to die in here, never seeing the light of day again?" he sobbed. "I just wanna go home. Daddy…I… just…wan…na…go…home…"

His voice dropped to a whisper as his eyes closed. His breaths became uneven, his pain-filled chest barely moving as he fell into darkness, missing the burst of static that came from his watch.

* * *

"_You won't survive this, Alan. I will personally make sure you won't survive this."_

_Alan looked around. All around him was darkness and he was floating in nothingness. An evil laugh made him turn around in shock. Standing before him was a bald man swathed in a red robe. "You. How? You're still in prison!"_

"_I am still in that rotten place. My __**mind**__, however, is here. Yes, Alan. I'm here in your mind, and this time, you __**will**__ die. I've been waiting for an opportunity like this, and now that it is here, you are doomed. My niece is not here this time to save you," the Hood chuckled as his eyes glowed red. Alan let out a pain-filled scream as his mind felt like it was being squeezed._

"_She may not be here, but __**I**__ am!"_

_3:30 p.m._

**Where Gordon was last seen**

Jeff could barely believe it. It had taken over twenty minutes for him and John to reach the redheaded Tracy's last position; ten minutes for Virgil to reach him; and Scott had yet to arrive with the MiniMole.

As soon as they had seen Virgil frantically calling Gordon's name and digging around in the rubble, they knew that what Virgil had seen was correct. They didn't even need the wrist with the watch sticking out of the rubble to prove it.

Gordon had been completely sucked down into a mess of rods, cement, concrete, glass…ect. It would be a miracle if he managed to survive, let alone _breathe_.

Jeff's heart was filled with fear as he continued to frantically dig, desperate to find his prankster of a son. "Gordon!" he called, praying for a response. Next to him, John was also frantically digging.

John couldn't believe it. '_First Alan, and now Gordon? This wasn't fair!_' Suddenly, John felt his hand brush up against something soft. "Dad! I think I've got him!" Heart pounding with excitement and fear, John, Jeff, and Virgil were finally able to uncover Gordon's head and shoulders. They all gasped at what they saw.

Gordon's face was littered with cuts and bruises, dust, and grit. His normally red hair was covered in dust and soot, giving it a grayish look. His red-hemmed silver flight suit was riddled with rips and long tears, and blood. Jeff could barely believe it. '_Why this? Why now?_' he wondered as he carefully brushed his second youngest son's filthy hair. He glanced around, his eyes resting on his other son's faces. Each had a panicked look as they desperately tried to free their brother.

Once more, Virgil looked up from his work, wondering where the hell Scott was with the MiniMole. '_Hurry up, Scotty! I don't know how much longer we can keep this up,_' he silently pleaded. He abruptly looked back at John, who had begun coughing harshly. "John? Are you alright?" he asked as he reached out to his older brother.

Jeff immediately turned to look at his oldest blond son, concern shining in his eyes as John continued to cough; each one making his son's body shake violently. He placed one hand on John's back, rubbing circles into it. His eyes widened as sudden realization hit him. '_Of course! The dust in the air,_' he thought. Looking around, he immediately noticed that none of their helmets were nearby. He swore.

Virgil looked at his father in astonishment. This would make it the second time he had sworn that day. '_And I don't blame him one bit. This is rubbing all of us the wrong way,_' he thought. "Dad?" he asked aloud. "What's wrong?"

"It's the dust in the air."

Understanding immediately dawned on Virgil. They had all been coughing, but he had barely noticed it; that is, until John had begun hacking it out. Opening up his flightsuit for a brief moment, he pulled out a green handkerchief. Just as quickly, he zipped back up the flight suit and placed the handkerchief over his older brother's mouth. Then, getting up and carefully making his way behind his brother, he tied the handkerchief. "There. That'll help a lot," he said as he backed away back to his spot. John shot him a grateful look.

Jeff sighed as he continued to brush the dirt and grime out of his redhead's hair. "Guys, I hate to break up the moment, but we really need to get Gordon out of here and to a hospital. If that blood on that steel beam is any indication to what happened, we'll be lucky if Gordon…" He broke off, unable to continue.

Virgil and John both nodded and continued digging. After all, getting their brother out was their top priority at the moment.

Suddenly, they all realized that there was one other that they had yet to rescue. As one, they all looked up at each other in shock, and all said the same thing at the same time.

"Eric."

_3:30 p.m._

**Near one of the last standing parts of the towers**

Jeremy Hart had never seen so much destruction. Not even in Ballad or Kuwait. It broke his heart. How could so much destruction be caused by two airplane crashes? Two crashes that never should've happened. Terrorism had struck the hearts of the American people, but would it be enough to bring down the country of the free?

'_I sure as hell hope not. But, one way or another, this country is now at war. But with who?_' he wondered as broken glass beneath his feet made a _crunching_ noise. Smoke continued to rise from breaks in the rubble, creating thick, black towers that seemed to connect the heavens to the earth.

"Perhaps the smoke is a passageway to heaven for the souls that have been lost," he said aloud to no one. He continued walking, sweeping his flashlight back and forth, praying for a whisper, a yell, or a tap. Anything that would tell him that someone was still alive in this _graveyard_.

* * *

**Will Gordy survive? Man, I'm evil. And what about Eric? Did he survive the…er…could you call it a cave in?**

**I know that this chapter was shorter than the last ones, but…**

**Alright, I've decided to leave it off there, considering…uh…I don't know…I just felt like it. Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed this installment of WTC, and the next installment of **_**The Apologize Saga**_** will be out soon! It's rather long… a lot happens in that one…**

**So, Review, Review, Review! And Update your own stories as well! [I need something to read as well!] **

**Now, part 5 may not be out this weekend, so sorry about that… It may be out sometime next weekend…**

_**World Trade Center**_** is FAR from being over. We have a long way to go, folks! And if I confused you with the Alan part, sorry! And Jeremy [my brother] will be showing up again either next part or the part after that.**

**Oh, and you all remember the playlist links I posted on here? Well, if you listen carefully enough to the songs, you may find a clue as to where this story is going. If you can figure it out, post it in your review!**

**F.A.B.**

**Fenix**


	5. Part 5 More Trouble

**All right, you've waited, and here it is. Part 5 of WTC. **

**Disclaimer- sidclaimer. I don't own anything but the plot…and my OC's. I do not own '**_**River Lullaby**_**' either! [Though, you wouldn't be able to tell that I have it in here… but it is!]**

**Beta is---**_**shadowfox8**_

**Part 5**

**Begins in**

**5**

**4**

**3**

**2**

**1**

_**Part 5**_

**is go.**

* * *

_3:40 p.m._

**Where Gordon has just been found**

"_Eric._"

The name seemed to echo through their minds as they realized that they had forgotten the boy. Virgil immediately stood and carefully walked around the area, shouting Eric's name.

There was no reply.

"Do a thermal scan," John said, his voice slightly muffled under the handkerchief. Virgil looked at him in confusion. "Just do it. Brains and I added the feature to the watches. It's the red button." Virgil complied, pressing the big red button, and was surprised when a holographic screen popped out of the watch.

"Wow."

"Wow, is right," Jeff said with a low whistle of appreciation. John just smirked.

Virgil looked back down at the screen and saw that there were way too many heat signatures in many forms. "Dad, there has got to be at least fifty heat signatures below us! I don't think that they are all human, though."

"We've probably got fires popping up all around us. Damn," Jeff muttered angrily. Turning to his oldest blond child, he asked, "John, is there any way that we can make the thermal scan target only humans?"

John's eyes widened. "There is, but it's still experimental. And it's been confined to only two watches."

"Whose?" Virgil asked.

"Mine and…and Alan's." Seeing their confused faces, John explained. "The reason why Alan has it on his watch is because he is one heck of a computer genius. He is _great_ with computers. In fact, it was his idea to put a thermal scanner in the watches."

"I always knew he was smart."

All heads turned in unison at Scott's voice. Their expressions ranged from delighted to anxious. They were delighted that the eldest Tracy son had finally arrived with help and the MiniMole. However, they were also anxious due to the fact that they weren't wearing helmets.

One of the firemen looked at the IR members and his eyes widened in shock. "Jeff Tracy?"

One thought raced through each Tracy's mind. '_Shit._'

Glancing at each of his sons, Jeff sighed. "Boys, there's no use in trying to hide our identities now. I'm pretty certain that none of these firemen are going to tell anyone our secret, _right?_" he said as he glared at the firemen.

"Wouldn't dream of it, sir. You've helped so many, and it's time we are able to return the favor. None of us are going to reveal your identities. We're a band of brothers, and brothers stick together," the fireman said, glancing back at the large group of firemen behind him. "My name is Lt. Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. Well, Junior's Junior."

Scott inwardly felt his heart shatter when he learned the man's name. '_I swear, if he has blond hair and blue eyes…_'

"Junior's Junior?" Virgil asked.

"Well, you see, my father was named Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr., so I'm just guessing, but wouldn't that make me Junior's Junior?"

"He's got a point there, Virgil," John said as Scott finally took off his helmet to the surprise of the firemen, who were slightly shocked when they saw that it was the eldest Tracy son.

"Wait, if you're Alan Shepard III, then-" Virgil began.

Lt. Shepard held up his hand. "Yeah, my Dad was the famous astronaut of the Mercury 7. But that is beyond the point. We have people to rescue."

_**.~*~.**_

Jeff had turned away when Lt. Shepard had told his name. He just couldn't let them see the tears that threatened to fall. '_Lucy, why did his name have to be Alan Shepard? Why must the heavens above continue to taunt me? Haven't they already taken away so much? Lucy, watch over our baby. Stay with him… Don't leave him alone… Don't let the heavens above claim another of our family,_' he prayed. A few seconds later, he could've sworn that he heard a reply.

"_I already am, Spaceman. I already am and I don't plan on letting him die._"

"Dad? Are you okay?" Jeff looked up and saw John speaking to him.

"Huh?"

"Are you okay?" John repeated patiently, stifling a cough.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine," Jeff whispered as he unconsciously brushed away some rubble from Gordon's hair.

John put his hand on his father's should, sensing what was wrong. "Dad, this is affecting everyone. It's okay to cry," he whispered gently as Jeff looked back down at his second youngest.

"If I start crying," Jeff began, speaking so softly that John had to strain to hear him, "I won't be able to stop. I have to remain strong." He sighed and looked back up. "Didn't you say you could scan for humans?"

John's eyes widened as he looked down at his watch. Turning away and pressing a small, peach colored button, he sighed in annoyance. '_How could I have forgotten that?!_' he wondered as the holographic screen popped out of the watch. Instantly, his eyes were drawn to three human-shaped heat signatures, two of which were almost completely gone, and the third one was slowly fading.

"We've got three people trapped below us," he said loudly. "They're located about three feet to the left of my current position and between fifteen to twenty feet below us." He turned toward the group of waiting firemen. "We have to hurry. Their life readings are fading fast."

Lt. Shepard nodded and turned his back to them. Speaking to the group of assembled firemen, he spoke. "All right, here's the plan. Four of you are going to join me and help the Tracy's while the rest of you are going to begin digging. Time is of the essence people! Let's go!"

"Scott, Virgil, help them with the MiniMole," Jeff ordered, slipping into Commander mode. Both brown-haired Tracy sons nodded and backed away.

"Johanson, Lewis, Rodriguez, Parker, you're with me," Shepard said as the four turnout coat clad men stepped forward.

_Time is still unknown_

**Place? Somewhere that is **_**very**_** close to Hell. In fact, you **_**could**_** call it Hell on Earth.**

"_She may not be here, but __**I**__ am!"_

_Alan managed to open his eyes against the pain in his throbbing head and saw a heavenly sight before him. A beautiful lady with shoulder-length, golden blond hair and the most beautiful blue eyes floated in the endless darkness. Her skin looked soft and seemed to glow. She wore a long white flowing dress. Her blue eyes were kind and warm. On her back was a pair of beautiful white wings. In her hands were a golden bow and a silver arrow. Securing the arrow on the bowstring, she drew it back and aimed it at the Hood._

"_Let go of my son."_

_The Hood's eyes were mocking her as he spoke__.__ "Or what? You can't hurt me."_

"_Try me."_

_Instead of answering, the Hood made Alan's head fill with pain. Alan immediately cried out in agony._

_Lucy Tracy's eyes briefly glanced down at Alan before she let go of the string. The silver arrow shot through the darkness at a rapid speed, quickly embedding itself in the Hood's chest. With a cry, the Hood disappeared, taking the dark abyss with him, leaving behind only a white light._

_Alan fell to the strangely soft ground. His eyes shot open, taking in the new scenery. Underneath him was snow, and above him was the most beautiful blue sky. Over to his left was a bunch of mountains, and to his right was a cluster of trees. His eyes widened in recognition as he quickly turned around, looking for his mother._

_Alan's eyes finally rested on his mother and he ran over and wrapped his arms around her. "Mama?"_

"_Yes, baby. I'm here, Mama's here," Lucy whispered as she embraced her youngest child for the first time in ten years. "Oh, baby…I've missed you so much…"_

"_I've missed your hugs, Mom."_

_Lucy hugged her child with mixed emotions as tears fell down her angelic face. "Alan, baby," she whispered as she caressed his cheek, "you can't stay here. You have to go back."_

_Alan looked at his mother in shock. "But I don't wanna go! I don't feel any pain here!" he complained, sounding very much like a four-year-old. "I'm not moving." And to prove his point, he crossed his arms and stamped his foot on the ground._

_Lucy chuckled, very much reminded of when Alan was four. "Honey, I know you don't want to go back to the pain, but you have to."_

"_But why?"_

_Lucy hesitated before answering. "If you stay here much longer, you will have to Cross Over, like Josh did. Right now, you are in limbo, the place between life and death. You need to go back."_

"_I don't wanna be in pain anymore…"_

_Lucy knew that her baby boy was afraid, even if he didn't want to admit it himself. She softly began to sing._

"_Hyub sahb ny omw_

_Byerc stnioldot_

_Smlae epret leihket yoyuber redock_

_Srleebpm aenmder_

_My lbulaly_

_Amdade irld luboey wniethhw uyo."_

_Whilst his mother was singing, Alan's eyes drifted close to the song. Even though he had no idea what the words meant, they felt…__**familiar**__…_

_5:15 p.m. – 5:20 p.m._

**With Scott and Virgil**

"How close are we now, Virge?" Scott called to his younger brother, who was currently manning the MiniMole.

"As close as we were thirty seconds ago, Scotty!" Virgil replied in a way to calm of a voice over the roar of the engine. "There's quite a lot of rubble to sort through, you know!"

Scott could tell that Virgil was getting peeved at him. '_I can't help it. I'm anxious to find those three survivors, for Pete's sake!_' he thought. His brow furrowed in confusion as he asked himself, '_Who the __**hell**__ is Pete?_' If his hands hadn't been picking up loose rubble and placing it into a metal pail, he would've smacked himself. '_Now is not the time for this, Scott!_' Out loud, he asked, "How close are we-" The sound of the MiniMole's engine cut out.

Virgil's head appeared over a mound of rubble. "You continue that sentence and I _will_ smack you," he growled.

Scott held his hands out in front of his face. "Sorry! Won't happen again!"

Virgil disappeared once more behind the mound, muttering, "Yeah. Riiiight." Scott smiled as the MiniMole started again, knowing that it was probably true.

"You guys doing okay down there?"

Scott looked up and saw a fireman five feet above him staring down at him. "Yeah, we're good!"

"Well, if you need anything, just call my name."

"Er…What's your name?" Scott asked.

"Oh, it's Pete. Pete Sake."

"You have got to be kidding me."

"I am. Pete Burkeheart, stationed at Station 93."

Scott coughed and nodded his greeting. "Scott, from International Rescue."

"Virgil, from International Rescue!" Virgil's voice raised above the engine. Scott laughed, wondering how the heck his brother could hear them.

Suddenly, for no reason he could fathom, the ground began to shake. "What the-" Before Scott had a chance to finish his sentence, the ground beneath him opened. He let out a cry of fear, surprise, and shock, only rivaled by that of his brother.

_5:15 p.m. – 5:20 p.m._

**The rescue site**

They had gotten Gordon out about an hour and forty-five minutes ago. He had then been taken to the hospital with a protesting John, who was suffering from the dust in the air. He would be back within an hour and had left his watch with them. The last that Jeff had heard about his second youngest condition was that it was critical.

But, alas, he wasn't able to concentrate on _that_. He had a rescue to perform, and it wouldn't do anyone any good for him to be distracted. He closed his eyes for a moment, listening to the sounds of his sons and firemen trying to reach the three trapped people below them. Unfortunately, even with the MiniMole, they didn't seem to be making much progress. He listened to the sounds of the MiniMole, the miniature version of the Mole that Alan, Fermat, and Brains had designed. The engine soothed him.

Jeff put his hands into his flight suit pockets, silently sighing. His fingers brushed something sharp. Eyes widening, he pulled out the object, only to discover that it was a piece of paper that had been folded many times. '_What on earth? How long has this been in here?_' he wondered as he began to carefully unfold it.

A single tear streaked his cheek as he read the contents of the letter.

_Dad, I just wanted to thank you, without the others making a big deal out of this, for letting me go to New York with Fermat and the eight other students. It's going to be great! I can't wait!_

_You know? Maybe someday, when I graduate, I can work with you at Tracy Enterprises. So, by going to the Twin Towers, I can see what it's like to work in a big office building. But, with my grades…I somehow doubt I'm ever going to be able to work there. Well, I __**know**__ I'll be allowed to work there, I just won't have the certifications to do so. Besides, I wouldn't want to take a job someone else, with better education, would be better at._

_Anyway. But, something about this whole thing seems just a bit off. Have you ever gotten one of those feelings where you know something's gonna happen, but you just don't know what? I've been getting that feeling. I just __**know**__ something's going to happen. Maybe Gordon's right, and I have ESP…I don't know…_

_The reason why I'm not talking to you about this man to man…er…scratch that. Father to son, yeah that works better, is because I don't want you to think that I'm just a paranoid wombat. That's Virgil's job, 'specially when one of us is hurt. Have you noticed that he is __**always**__ hovering? I mean, I know he's basically the family doctor, but, still! And __**don't**__ get me started on Scott._

_I just don't want you to be disappointed with me. One day…you'll be proud of me._

_I also wanted to let you know that I love you. I know I haven't said this enough, but I'm trying to change that._

_Great, now this letter is just getting all mushy. Well, I'd better go before I go all girly on you._

_Love you always,_

_Alan_

Jeff forced himself to look away, almost unable to choke back the couldn't believe what he had just read. '_Alan doesn't think…he thinks I'm disappointed in him? What kind of father have I been?_' His thoughts went unanswered as the ground suddenly began to shake.

Cries came from fellow rescuers as heads swiveled around, trying to discover the source. Jeff's eyes focused on Tower 7, watching in horror as it came down. His heart froze when he heard Scott and Virgil's cries above the rest, followed by Lt. Shepard's shout.

"We need manpower! We have a cave in!"

_Time Unknown_

**Hell on Earth**

Alan's eyes shot open in shock as pain filled his body. His breaths came out in gasps as he struggled for air.

"_Calm down, baby. Shh… Just breathe…_" Lucy's voice filled Alan's head as he did what he was told.

His breathing slowing down, Alan sighed. "Why am I back here? Why did I have to come back to Hell on earth?" he asked, his voice laced with pain.

Lucy's form appeared in front of him, her eyes filled with both laughter and sadness. "_That's a very good description of this, Allie. A very good description, indeed._"

Alan felt like crying. '_What's wrong with me? Tracys don't cry! Scott doesn't cry, neither does Dad. Why should I?_'

"_Allie, believe me when I tell you, Tracys __**do**__ cry. In fact, I cried when I nearly lost you in the avalanche that claimed my life,_" Mama Tracy whispered, looking away.

Alan was about to ask what she was talking about, when the ground began to shake and rumble. "No…Not again…" he whimpered.

About five feet above him was a loose bit of concrete. The jarring caused by the…well, whatever it was, knocked it loose. Alan could only watch in horror as it came down on top of him before everything went black.

_5:24 p.m._

**The rescue site**

Jeff's heart lurched at those words. '_Not again. Oh, God, please don't do this to me!_' Stuffing the letter carefully back into his pocket, Jeff began clamoring over to where his sons were trapped. "What's the situation, Lt. Shepard?" he asked.

"I'm afraid your sons are currently trapped under at least five feet of rubble. We've already begun clearing out the rub- My, God. Is that a lady's shoe?" he asked as the shoe was handed up, resting on top of a pail of rubble. He took it, staring at with a tremendous sadness. He glanced over at Jeff. "Jeff, er, is it okay if I call you Jeff?" Jeff nodded, and he continued. "Jeff, I noticed that when I mentioned my name, you became distant. What's wrong? I mean, besides the obvious?"

Jeff sighed, never taking his eyes off the hole and the men desperately digging his sons out. "My…my youngest child…His name is Alan Shepard Tracy…"

Lt. Shepard immediately felt rather awkward. "Oh." His eyes suddenly raised and he looked at Jeff in shock. "Wait. Isn't he the one that was here? Wasn't he inside the towers?"

Jeff could only nod, choking slightly.

Lt. Shepard immediately sensed what was wrong. He walked closer to the man and wrapped one arm around his shoulders. "I swear to you, we _will_ find your son and we _will_ bring him home."

"Hey! Watch it! This rubble's loose!" someone yelled angrily. "Quit makin' the loose stuff fall on my head! I have enough dents in my helmet already!"

"Sorry!"

Jeff sighed.

_Time Unknown_

**Hell on Earth**

Alan's weary eyes opened. She sighed. "_Help will be coming to you soon, Allie. I want to stay with you, but I am unable to due to the fact that my energy is weakening. If I stay here much longer, I will fade away completely."_

Alan was about to protest, when a burst of static erupted from his watch, drawing his eyes to it as semi-clear voices came from the speakers.

"_Yeah… Airman Jeremy…loud and clear._"

"_Jeremy, it's 7:00 p.m…they've called off…search for…night…too much dust…Come in…over…"_

"_I'll…there shortly…_"

When Alan looked up again, his mother was gone. He looked back down at the watch, and brought it closer to his face. Screaming in pain, he moved his right arm and managed to press down on the side buttons.

"Help me…"

* * *

**Will this be the end? What of Scott and Virgil? Will Jeremy get Alan's message? What will happen!? Tune in next time to find out! Wow...This was a rather short chapter. Now, any spelling mistakes are mine...mainly cause I have a tremendous headache... anyway... Enjoy!**

**REVIEW…please? Pretty please? With...ice cream?**

**Your #1 9-11 addict and suspenseful writer,**

**Uzumaki Fenix**


	6. Part 6 A Rescue Gone Wrong

**Well, you've waited, and waited, and waited, and waited, and part 6 is finally here! Now, I've **_**borrowed**_** a quote from **_**Star Trek: First Contact**_**. If you are a **_**Star Trek**_** fan and you find the quote, you get a virtual cookie! They're quite good, really. *munches on real cookie* **

**By the way, John Tracy is **_**NOT**_ **on Thunderbird 5. He was brought down a couple chapters ago. Just thought I should clarify that!**

**Also, in one of the scenes between Scott and Virgil, you hear about the avalanche that killed Lucy Tracy. If you don't understand this part [trust me, you won't, just warning ya!] you'll just have to wait until another one of my stories, the possible sequel to this one, comes out. It will explain all. No flaming allowed! They shall be punished!**

**And by now, you should know that I don't own Thunderbirds. I do own my own characters, obviously.**

**Big thanks to **_**Shadowfox8**_** for her help in the medical department.**

* * *

_**Part 6**_

_3:56 p.m. – 5:56 p.m._

**With John**

"I hate this."

"Whining about it isn't going to help, ya know. Now, open wide. Here comes the choo-choo!"

"I'm not a two-year-old!"

"Funny, you sure are acting like it."

"Shut u- ugh!"

"Ha! I got you to open your mouth!"

John was not having a good time. He really, really, really hated hospitals. And here he was, stuck in one until further notice. Great.

"Hm…Just some major dust inhalation. You should be fine in about an hour." The nurse handed him some water and studied him for a minute before suddenly asking, "Are you John Tracy?"

John began to choke on the water. The nurse quickly pounded him on the back, dislodging the water from his lungs, bringing up some mucky stuff as well. "Holy sh- What the hell?" she shouted, drawing the attention of several other nurses along with a doctor.

"What's wrong, Nurse McCall?" the doctor asked, walking over. Nurse McCall showed him the debris John had coughed up. "Holy crap. How much of this stuff is lodged in his lungs?!" he exclaimed as John continued to cough up more foreign debris. "We need a respirator in here stat! We have to clear his lungs!"

John could feel his lungs aching as the foreign debris dislodged itself into his throat. His body racked with coughs and there was nothing he could do about it. His lungs were trying to self-clean themselves in the best way possible.

"Easy," the doctor told him.

After several pain staking moments, John no longer felt the urge to cough. His breathing began to settle and was coming in gentle wheezes. He felt completely exhausted and his stomach was fighting the urge to empty all of its contents.

The doctor placed an oxygen mask over John's mouth and nose. "Does your chest feel tight?"

"A little," John managed to croak out.

"The oxygen will help. Just rest. You've all been through a lot out there. I can't even begin to imagine what it's like down there," the doctor stated.

"You have no idea. That is why I must return. My teammates need me."

"You are not going anywhere. You need rest and your lungs are far from cleared. I understand what a disaster it must be down there but there is nothing you can do if you collapse."

"I understand the risk, but I am going back," John said, his eyes stern.

The doctor knew there was only so much he could do. The man could easily leave by his own free will. "Let's come to a compromise. I will allow you to return if you stay for at least an hour or two. The longer you allow the oxygen to reach your lungs, the better your breathing will be. You could easily develop an infection."

"It's a deal. They need all the help they can get out there," John said. He closed his eyes as he allowed the fresh oxygen to fill his lungs. He couldn't wait to get back to the guys. He needed to know they were all okay, and most of all, he wanted to find Alan. He couldn't lose him. None of them could.

_Time unknown_

**With Scott and Virgil**

"Ow."

"That is in fact an understatement, Scott."

"Virge! You okay?" Scott asked, desperately trying to find his younger brother, but seeing nothing.

"Do I sound okay?"

"Uh…"

"Where are we?"

"Can't you see?"

"Well, yeah. It looks like a bunch of cement blocks and steel beams." There was a pause, then Virgil asked, "Why do you want to know? Don't you dare hide anything from me, Scott."

"Well, quiet frankly, I can't see a thing. I don't know whether I hit my head or something, but I just can't see." Scott knew he sounded pathetic, but he didn't care.

"Scott, pull down your handkerchief. It's currently covering your eyes."

"Wha- oh." Now Scott was beyond embarrassed as he pulled off the blue handkerchief from his face, where it had apparently shifted upward. He blinked a couple times before seeing what was in front of him. "Well, we've certainly gotten ourselves into one hell of a mess."

"That is an understat- ow!"

Scott's eyes immediately swiveled around, trying to locate his brother. "Virgil! Where are you?!"

"Currently? Under the MiniMole."

"Shit."

"Understatement."

"Shut up." After a couple seconds, Scott continued. "Are you hurt?"

There was a moment's pause before an answer came back. "No, I don't think so. Just pinned. You?"

"Nah."

The two, trapped brothers fell into silence that was only broken when Virgil asked, "Scott… is this… is this…"

"Is this what?"

"Is this what Alan's going through?" Virgil asked tentatively.

Scott's eyes closed. Alan hadn't even crossed his mind. "Yes, Virgil…This is probably what Alan's going through…" Scott sighed, then added, "if he's even alive…"

"Scott, don't talk like that. Alan's gonna be okay. He survived Hell when the Hood invaded, even faced down the monster in the London Bank… Hell, he survived that avalanche that killed Mom! He shouldn't have survived that! He had several broken bones, was in a coma for at least two weeks, bleeding in the brain from apparently slamming his head against a tree…"

"And Mom had a minor major concussion…Well, as minor as a major concussion could be that the doctors could see. And yet she died while Alan lived."

"You know, I still don't get that. How he managed to get away from that… It shouldn't have been possible! It goes against all logic!"

"Well, Mom and Alan were different from all of us. You remember what Mom's eyes looked like when we saw Alan for the first time?"

"Scott, I was only like, what, six? Seven? How am I supposed to remember that?!"

Scott continued as if he hadn't heard his younger brother. "Her eyes were filled with some kind of fear. They kept darting back and forth between Alan and the hallway. She looked as if she was expecting someone to come and take him."

"Scott, most mothers are like that with a newborn. Newborns have been kidnapped before. Plus, Alan is the youngest son of Jeff Tracy. Who knows how many enemies Dad has."

They lapsed into silence.

_6:00 p.m._

**Rescue Site**

Jeff groaned as he pulled away a medium-sized slab of concrete_. 'Man, I really need to work out more_,' he thought to himself. '_This is tough… Don't **even** go there, Jeff. Raising those boys without a wife…now **that** was tough. And tougher still was Alan. Or was it Gordon? No, no, it was Alan. **Gordon's** in a whole different category._'

"Penny for your thoughts."

Jeff turned and saw Lt. Shepard standing behind him, bent over and pulling at another slab of concrete. Jeff quickly helped him. Together, they managed to move it. Lt. Shepard sighed and wiped the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief. "Seriously, what are you thinking about?"

"What makes you think I've been thinking about something?"

"I'm a father as well, Mr. Tracy. When my kids are in trouble, they're the first things I think about." Lt. Shepard smiled. "Two eight-year-old boys and a little three-year-old girl. My little princess and my twin pranksters."

Jeff chuckled. "I know the feeling. About the pranksters, I mean. I don't have a little girl. But Tin-Tin, daughter of one of my friend's who lives on the island, is like a daughter to me. But with the pranksters… I'd rather not talk about it."

"Let me guess," Lt. Shepard began as both he and Jeff pulled at another slab of concrete, "they've pulled every trick in the book?"

"They did that years ago. They're now creating their own book," Jeff chuckled. "My two youngest boys…" Jeff stopped, unable to go on. He couldn't cry now.

"Jeff-" Lt. Shepard began, then stopped as a voice crackled over the radio.

_"This is the Battalion Chief is calling off the search for the night. Everyone fall back in!"_

Lt. Shepard growled and pressed the button on his radio. "We can't. We've got a hotspot! We've found three victims, but while we were attempting a rescue there was a cave in. Two International Rescue members were buried. We are attempting rescue!"

"_The air is too thick with dust and it is way too dark! I'm sorry, but too many rescuers have been hurt."_

Lt. Shepard sighed. "10-4." He then switched off the radio and yelled for everyone to stop what he or she was doing. "I'm about to defy a direct order from the battalion chief. Anyone who has any objections, please speak now; your objection will be noted. If you wish to stay, please switch to channel six."

The firemen and women looked at each other. One by one, they all took their walki-talkies and switched them to channel six. One voice rose above the rest. "Lt., I believe I speak for everyone when I say, 'To Hell with our orders.'"

Claps rose from the others as Jeff smiled through his tears –which had begun to fall a couple moments ago. Lt. Shepard turned to the Tracy father and smiled. "I seem to have a bunch of loyal firemen and women. We're going to get your sons out. All three of them."

"I know," Jeff said, wiping the tears from his eyes. "I know."

"All right! Let's get back to work!" Lt. Shepard shouted to his "men".

A series of "10-4!" echoed his statement.

_6:30 p.m._

**The Rescue Site**

John Tracy sighed, adjusting the mask that covered his nose and mouth. He had spent way too long in that hospital. Who knows how much trouble the guys had gotten into without him there? He had to sneak past the Battalion Chief –who looked quite peeved about something and John wasn't sure if it was because of the attacks or what- and several police officers just to get up to this point.

The smoke parted and John came across a large group of firemen and women, all working hard. John knew something was wrong. Where was the roar of the MiniMole? Where were Dad, Scott, and Virgil?

One by one, men and women turned to look at the blond IR member that carefully walked through them. John felt uneasy as he finally reached where his Dad and Lt. Shepard were standing.

"Dad? Where are Scott and Virgil?" John asked, startling both men, who had been looking the opposite direction.

"John!" Jeff exclaimed, giving his eldest blond son a pat on the back. "What took you so long?"

"I had a rather big build up of debris in my lungs. They got enough of it out so that I would be able to come back here. Now, you didn't answer my question. Where are Scott and Virgil?"

Jeff opened his mouth but was saved from speaking when a firefighter cried out, "We've found them!"

John looked at his father curiously. Jeff sighed. "They just found them."

"WHAT?!"

"I'll explain later," Jeff promised his second oldest as he went over to help the others, leaving a slightly confused John behind.

John shook his head and followed his father. He peered down the fifteen-foot hole in shock. Scott was just being pulled out of the rubble. The eldest Tracy brother looked up at his father with a stupid look plastered on his face. "Hey, Dad! Yes, I'm all right, minus a few cuts and bruises… Hey, John!"

John shook his head_. 'Scott** must** be drunk. He is **way** too excited. Maybe it's just cause he just got rescued?'_ the blond Tracy wondered briefly before waving back. "Hey, Scott. Where's Virge?"

Scott's face immediately sobered. "He's…uh…He's currently trappedundertheMiniMole," he said quickly.

"Excuse me, but could you repeat that?" Jeff asked.

"," Scott muttered almost indistinctly.

"Scott!" John and Jeff shouted.

"He is currently trapped under the MiniMole!" Scott practically shouted. John and Jeff's eyes widened in shock.

"Is he alive?!" Jeff shouted, panic showing in his eyes.

"Uh, yeah. He's alive. We've been comparing notes."

Jeff and John glanced at each other in confusion than back down at Scott. "Huh?" they both asked.

"Well-"

"Hey, you guys can talk up there. We're trying to get to your brother. You need to be checked out," a fireman growled.

"Sorry," Scott said as he slowly made his way up the ladder.

John and Jeff each placed a hand under Scott's arms and carefully hauled him up.

"Well, that wasn't fun," Scott muttered as he brushed some dust from his torn flight suit.

John gave him a thunderstruck look. "No, really?"

Scott gave his younger brother a hug. "Good to see you in one piece, Johnny-boy."

"Don't call me Johnny-boy."

Scott laughed.

"Scott, what did you mean when you said that you and Virgil were comparing notes?" Jeff asked.

Scott sighed and looked at his father. "Virgil made a comment. He asked if this is what Alan wa- is going through. I told him, 'Probably…if he's still alive…'"

John glared at his only older brother. "Don't _even_ talk like that. He's _Alan_. The Sprout manages to get out of every kind of danger!" He paused, a grin plastered on his face. "Well, except when he pisses off Tin-Tin."

Scott nodded. "I know that, but…I…I think this may be the one thing that will…" He looked down, unable to go on. After a few minutes, he managed to speak again. "It's Hell down there, guys…How anyone can still be alive is beyond me."

John was about to respond when a shout was heard. "Hey! We can't get this thing off this guy! It weighs too much!"

"Damn it."

Scott and John's eyes widened. They soon -unknowingly- repeated the same conversation that Virgil and Gordon had had earlier dealing with their father swearing.

Jeff looked from Scott to John, his eyes full of laughter and sorrow.

"Hey, uh, Jeff? Do you have any idea how to get this thing off him?" Lt. Shepard asked, speaking for the first time in a long time.

Jeff nodded. "It's going to be heavy to get at it when it's at that awkward angle. We'll need something incredibly strong to pull it out." Jeff looked at his two "free" sons. "Scott, John, what do you recommend?"

Both men glanced at each other for a moment before speaking at the same time.

"Thunderbird 2."

_Time unknown_

**Hell on Earth**

He waited.

Two hours passed.

And waited.

Another hour.

And waited…

Another hour.

No response came from his watch. He wanted to scream in frustration. It had died out once more.

Alan Tracy was once more left alone.

Suddenly, he heard the roar of Thunderbird 2's engines. He would know that roar anywhere! Excited, Alan waited for his rescue. He just knew they had found him. They had gotten his message!

He waited.

And waited.

'_Well, it's going to take a while to get me, anyway,_' he mused happily.

He waited.

'_They'd better hurry, I can't even feel my legs,_' he added, beginning to get worried.

And waited.

The roar of TB2's engine slowly receded.

Tears streamed down the youngest Tracy's face as realization dawned on him.

They hadn't found him. They were leaving. They were leaving him behind!

'I…I guess they…they're not ever going to find me…I'm going to be left behind…'

He had lost all hope. They were never going to find him. If they wanted to find him, then why didn't they find him already?!

His hope, which was little to begin with, had become almost non-existent, hanging by a sliver of a thread.

Alan Tracy began to lose the will to live.

With that last sad and horrified thought, Alan's breathing slowed until it was almost non-existent and his eyes drifted close.

_All around him was endless whiteness. There was no other color except for the small person floating in the white light. He was tan, navy blue, and blond. That's all you could describe him as._

_The figure's eyes opened, revealing a cobalt blue beauty that technically didn't exist in this plane of existence. _

_But, then again, where was here?_

_What was here?_

_When was here?_

_There didn't seem to be any amount of time in this plane of existence._

_There was no other "life" on this plane of existence._

_The cobalt blue looked around, taking in its non-existent surroundings. There was nothing to see._

"_**Alan…"**_

_The blond looked around, it's non-existent ears taking in the voice, trying to place it._

"_**Alan…"**_

_There it was again! But…what was it?_

"_**You must leave this place. It is not safe for your kind."**_

'_My kind?' the blond wondered. "What do you mean, my kind?" he asked through a non-existent mouth._

"_**Your kind does not belong here. Here is for the mortals when they die."**_

"_What is my kind?"_

"_**You will find out in time, young one. Your time has not yet come. You have a great journey in front of you."**_

"_What are you talking about?"_

"_**You will find out in time, young Tracy. In time…"**_

Alan's eyes shot open. "What the hell was that?" he asked no one.

"_Honestly, Mr. Tracy. Can't you stay awake? You can't stay awake during class, so why am I not surprised that you're not staying awake here, where it matters the most?"_

Alan took in the sight of an enemy he thought he would never see again…

A teacher, Mr. Swan, of all people, was floating above him semi-transparently…

Alan screamed.

_7:00 p.m._

**The Rescue site**

"All right, Dad. Nice and easy…" Scott spoke into his watch as he watched Thunderbird 2 lowering a cable. The hook finally lowered enough that John was able to grab it and hold onto it as it went farther and farther down the hole.

As John reached the bottom of the hole -well, if you could count it as a bottom- he stepped off the hook and waved at Scott.

"All right, Dad. John's made it. Lower the cable just a little more and wait for further notice," Scott said into the watch.

"_F.A.B._" Jeff acknowledged.

About thirteen minutes later, John waved up at Scott again. It had taken him awhile to get the cable completely around the MiniMole -Virgil had to help- but they had finally gotten it around the machine. He heard Scott telling their father to take it up nice and easy.

The long cable let out a loud _thwang_! as Thunderbird 2 began it's ascent. John watched carefully as the MM slowly lifted up. He couldn't help but feel a small prick of fear as the MM continued its ascent. '_What if it falls? What if the cable snaps?_' he wondered as he watched.

"Johnny-boy, calm down," Virgil said, glancing at his older brother. John looked down at his younger brother, taking in the cuts and bruises that littered his skin. His flightsuit was torn in numerous places and slightly stained with blood. "It's going to be all right. Everyone is going to come home, including Alan. I just know it."

The MiniMole was about halfway up the "hole" when it bumped one side of the "wall". John glanced up warily, and seeing that nothing seemed to be wrong, continued his conversation with his brother.

"Virgil, I wish I had your-" A groan from above cut off the rest of John's sentence as both brothers glanced upwards. Some of the rubble was beginning to shift as small, dust-like debris began to fall on the brothers' heads. "Oh, fu-" John swore as the top of one "wall" of the "hole" began to fall. "Virge, this is going to hurt like hell!" Without further warning, John grabbed his brother from under the armpits and pulled him free of rubble, ignoring any cries of pain that came from his younger sibiling. He quickly covered him with his own body.

A split second later, everything went dark.

* * *

**Wow… I can be cruel…So, so cruel… [goes and hides in reader/reviewer proof bomb shelter, hiding with computer. I know I'm going to die if any reviewers catch me.]**

**Remember the conversation between Scott and Virgil about Alan and the avalanche? Just wanted to clarify that all **_**will**_** be revealed soon. Wait for the sequel to this story.**

**Peace out,**

**Fenix**


	7. Part 7 Revelations

**You've waited.**

**And waited.**

**And waited.**

**Well good news!**

**Hey! I'm back! I forgot to add this: All time is in E.S.T [That means eastern time, I think] Also, you've been wondering what happened to Gordon, right? Well, you're about to find out! **

**I also seemed to have screwed up the times at one point or another. Sorry about that. It's either that or I have confuzzeled myself… Just work with me.**

**The Name "Daka" comes from a friend. I wasn't able to come up with a name and she suggested it. Credit goes to her!**

**Let's thank Mom for the medical knowledge!**

**Beta - Shadowfox8**

**Now, the first part of this chapter will continue what happened last chapter. After that, we kinda go into a rewind and find out what's been going on with the other characters. You've been wondering what happened to Gordon, right? Maybe you were wondering what happened to Jeremy, Fermat, and the rest of the North Tower group. Well, the wait is finally over!**

* * *

_Around 7:25 p.m._

**With John and Virgil**

John's eyes blinked open. "I'm alive?" he asked aloud.

"Yes, Johnny-boy. We're both alive. Somehow."

John started. He looked down into the face of his younger brother. "Virge! You're alright!" he shouted.

"Dude, not so loud." Virgil, from practically underneath his older brother, then said, "Will you please get off me?!"

"Sorry." John was surprised that he was able to get up and move around. He was even more surprised to discover that the avalanche caused by the MiniMole didn't cover them. "So, Virge, how do you think we managed to escape that?" he asked, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at the pile of debris.

"John, when I figure that out, you'll be the second to know."

"Second?"

Virgil smacked his head as he carefully stood up. He wasn't seriously hurt –miraculously-, just had a few cuts and scrapes. "Well, think about it, John. Who would be the **first** to know?"

"Shut up."

"How about you both shut up and get me out of here? Honestly, you're just like Alan and Josh. Actually, more like Alan and Fermat."

John and Virgil's eyes widened as they took in the sight that was directly to their right –the opposite side of the collapse. Virgil immediately fell to his knees. "Holy sh- crud!"

Lying before them, with only his head and right arm visible, was Eric Santee, one of the Wharton kids.

**Lt. Shepard**

It was hard to tell who was more upset and scared. Lt. Alan Shepard certainly couldn't. He watched and listened as Jeff and Scott were both yelling on the radio. Scott was telling his father to get the MiniMole out of the way, and that it had knocked some debris down on John and Virgil.

'_Let's see. How many times has the IR rescue situation been screwed up point-wise_,' Lt. Shepard mused as he glanced down the hole, '_Scott – 1; John – 2; Virgil – 2; Gordon – hm… Kinda hard to tell; Alan – now that is the million-dollar question. No one even knows if he's still alive; Jeff – 0._' Lt. Shepard mentally smacked his forehead. '_Great. Not enough sleep and then even my thoughts are confusing as hell!_'

"Hey! Hey! Can anyone hear us? If you can, can we please get some help down here in this Pit of Hell?" he heard John –at least he though it was John- shout from below. He looked down and smiled. There was John supporting his younger brown-haired brother and waving. It was nothing short of a miracle.

Lt. Shepard looked at the elder Tracy brother, who apparently hadn't noticed his brother's call. He tapped on his shoulder and pointed down. He watched in amusement as Scott's eyes widened in disbelief as he spoke with an excited tone to his father on Thunderbird 2.

"Dad! They're alright! They're alright!" Scott excitedly told the radio/watch.

Lt. Shepard turned back to John and Virgil, who seemed to be digging at something. "Hey! What have you boys found?!" he shouted.

Virgil was the one who answered. "Eric! We found Eric! He's one of the Wharton kids! He's still alive!"

Lt. Alan B. Shepard's jaw dropped in shock. Maybe, just maybe, they were close to finding Alan Tracy. Shouldn't he have been with the other Wharton kids?

**With Scott**

Scott turned to his older-newer friend and then back down at his younger brothers. "Could you repeat that?"

"_We found Eric and he's still alive! Now unconscious, but alive!"_ came John's voice over the watch/radio. Scott had to smile. Maybe, just maybe, they are close to finding Alan.

"Did you get that, Dad?" Scott asked excitedly.

"_F.A.B. I got it, Scott._"

_[still 9-11] 2:00 p.m. - whenever_

**Mercy Hospital Emergency Room 3**

They had brought in the two International Rescue men. An oxygen mask was placed over the blond-gray haired one, while a paramedic was checking vitals on the red-gray haired one, identified as "Gordon". The man had apparently become totally unresponsive thirty seconds prior to arrival at the Emergency doors.

Nurse McCall immediately directed the paramedic and orderlies with Gordon into Treatment 3. She then took the one identified as "John" into Treatment 4, where she gave him oxygen treatment and the shock of his life when she figured out who he was.

Meanwhile, in Treatment 3, Gordon's breathing was labored; pulse was 60, respiration 15, and BP of 70/60. He still hadn't regained consciousness since his accident.

Dr. John Daka, tall, lean, with brown hair going gray on the sides, immediately ordered CT scan of the head, chest, abdomen, and pelvis. "Stat!" he said for equal measure.

The x-ray technicians nodded and got to work. Dr. Daka, the paramedic, and a nurse left the room, leaving a single nurse inside the room in case of an emergency.

Outside the room, there were several reporters that were hoping for some images of the IR men. Security officer arrived on scene a few moments later and guided them away. Or at least attempted to.

"Hey! We've got a right to be here! Freedom of the press, remember?!" a head-strong young female demanded.

"Sorry, lady. Why don't you all just leave this hospital and go cover the terrorist attacks?" one guard asked.

"_Everyone's_ doing that. _I'm_ going to cover some _real_ news, like why two members of the Thunderbirds have been brought to the hospital."

A shout came from behind the female reporter as a woman that looked just a little older than her came at the reporter. "You witch! How dare you! My husband, brother, and father were in the Trade Centers! They were firefighters doing their duty and are buried in the rubble! You don't think that's news?!"

"That's enough!" a nurse shouted, stepping between the two women. "Enough of this nonsense! I won't have it! Not in my hospital! Now, everyone calm down. Guards take the reporter outside."

The guard nodded taking the stunned, young female reporter by the arm and leading her outside.

The nurse then turned to the other woman. "Now, why don't you go and sit down? Wait for news with the others."

The woman burst into tears. "Why? There's no point! M husband is never going to meet his child! My brother isn't going to meet his niece or nephew! My father is never going to meet his grandchild!"

The nurse enveloped the woman in a hug, sensing that that was what she needed at the moment, lending her a shoulder to cry on. "My name is Dixie. Dixie Daka. What's yours?"

The woman sniffed. "Samantha Wheeling. My husband is… was Lt. Jerry Wheeling. My other brother came to my house earlier –he's a police officer- and told me that the last they heard from my husband was that he was up in the South Tower, helping some Tracy kid. They lost contact with him just before the building collapsed."

Dixie's eyes widened at this revelation. Samantha began crying harder and Dixie led her to her husband's, Dr. Daka, office.

Meanwhile, Dr. Daka walked back into Treatment 3 where the CT was finished. "We'll have the results up here in a few minutes, Dr. Daka.," the orderly said before walking out.

"Thank you," the doctor replied as he walked over to the prone man lying on the table. He then retook the vitals. "What were his vitals?"

The nurse, Carol Webbings, walked forward, holding a metal clipboard. "BP – 70/60; Pulse – 60; pupils unequal and sluggish. Breathing shallow and labored, assisted by bag ET."

Dr. Daka frowned. "His BP's dropping. It's now 60/30. Start two large bore IVs and warms fluids, wide open. Get him typed and crossed for four units of blood."

Carol nodded. "Yes, Doctor."

Dr. Daka glanced at the EKG. "Sinus Tach."

Just then, a fellow doctor, Dr. James Magna, walked in with a burnt-yellow colored, large envelope. "I have the CT report." He turned to the blank viewing screen, snapped the images up on it, and flipped the switch, illuminating the images with the florescent light.

Dr. Daka walked over to his friend and examined the CT. "He's got a small subdural; chest shows a small hemo-pneumothorax-"

"He may need a chest tube," Dr. Magna broke in.

"Abdomen and pelvis look okay." Dr. Daka continued to examine the CT reports. After a few minutes, he walked back to the patient, putting on his stethoscope. He placed it on the injured man's chest. After a few seconds, he frowned, placing the stethoscope over the other lung. "No breathing in the right lung. Set up for chest tube insertion!"

Dr. Magna, with the ease and skill of a seasoned surgeon, he made a small incision and slipped the tube in to the man's chest. Immediately a gush of air was heard. The tube was then sutured into place and a x-ray confirmed proper placement. Blood started to fill the chest tube drain 760 cc before slowing. Slowly, his BP stabilized.

"He's going to need surgery. We have to place a ventricular drain to relieve the pressure on his brain. I'll go and talk to the IR man next door." With that, Dr. Daka walked out of the room.

_.~*~._

John looked up from the table he was sitting on as a new doctor walked in. He could tell by the serious expression on the man's tired face that the news was serious. Forgetting for a moment that he was in uniform, he made a fatal comment. Removing the oxygen mask from his mouth, he asked, "What's wrong with my brother?"

Dr. Daka stopped mid-step. "Your brother?"

Nurse McCall glanced at John. "So you _are_ John Tracy! I knew it!"

Dr. Daka frowned. "I'm missing something here."

John was mentally slapping himself. He sighed. "I'll tell you after you tell me what's wrong with my little brother."

"Deal." Dr. Daka then proceeded to tell the blond Tracy what they had learned. "All in all, he's going to need surgery in order to place a ventricular drain to relieve the pressure on his brain. We need you to fill out the permission forms. I have them with me." Dr. Daka handed the man a metal clipboard and a pen.

John nodded and signed the form. "He will be alright, right?" he asked as he put the name "Gordon Cooper" on the form for the patient's name.

Dr. Daka took the forms from him and smiled. "With a little time and rest, he'll be fine." He turned to Nurse McCall. "Take these next door and alert OR." Nurse McCall nodded, took the clipboard, and walked out of the room. She was disappointed that she wouldn't be able to learn more from the IR man.

The doctor then turned back to John. "Now for your end of the bargain. I was just kidding, by the way. You don't have to tell me anything."

John just sighed. "Yes, I do. It's the whole reason I have to get out of here so fast and get back to Ground Zero." He lowered his voice until it was just above a whisper. "I am John Tracy. The man you have been examining is my younger brother, Gordon Cooper Tracy. The reason I have to get back to the search is-" He broke off with a harsh cough. Dr. Daka immediately placed the mask back on the blonde's face.

"Easy." Dr. Daka's eyes widened. "Wait. I was watching the news earlier. They said that Alan Tracy was- Oh, crap! No wonder you're in such a rush! Your little brother is trapped in that pile of scrap!"

John could only nod and hold back the tears that threatened to fall.

John Daka stared at the man in shock. After a few minutes of silence, he spoke. "I know exactly how you feel."

John looked at him questioningly.

"He might not have been my little brother, but he was like an older brother to me. You remember that World Trade Center bombing of '93?"

John nodded.

"My best friend was killed in that. His name was Wilfredo Mercado. He was thirty-seven."

John's eyes widened. "How old are you?!"

Daka laughed. "Me? I'm around forty." He sighed, "It took me a long time to get over his death. It doesn't hurt as much now, but it still hurts a lot, you know? I just hope that they find your brother before it is too late."

'_It may already be too late…_' John thought darkly. '_Stop that! Alan is a survivor! He'll make it through this! I know he will!'_

Nurse McCall stuck her head into the room. "They're taking him up to surgery now."

John stood up. "Let me see him. Please."

McCall looked at Daka, who nodded. "Alright. Come on."

John hopped off the bed and walked out of the room. Several doctors and nurses turned to look at the blond International Rescue man in surprise. They watched as he took the other IR man's hand and bent in next to his head. They saw him move his lips, but they didn't know what he was saying.

Daka and McCall heard every word.

"_We're going to bring our baby brother home, Gordy._"

_[still 9-11] 5:15 p.m._

**Holiday Inn Hotel on the New Jersey/Hudson River border**

The hotel manager had been very kind, allowing them to stay in one of the rooms on the top floor, free of charge. Originally, he hadn't been too pleased with that, but when he learned that they were the Wharton students rescued from the North Tower, he allowed them to stay, with the promise that they could pay later. Mr. Maus made sure that the manager knew that Wharton's would pay for the room later.

Fermat had been allowed out of the hospital, where a doctor stated that he only had a mild concussion and needed rest. Mr. Maus agreed that he would get it, and took the boys to find a place to stay, since their original hotel, the _Marriott Hotel_, had been crushed when the South Tower had collapsed, taking the other Wharton group with it.

Fermat sighed, staring out the window that faced Lower Manhattan, where he could see the thick column of smoke rising up into the heavens where the elegant and beautiful Twin Towers once stood, proud and tall. Now it was only a grim shadow of the former pride of the Manhattan skyline.

He had been in contact with his father, assuring the older man that he was indeed alright. Since then, he had stayed by the window, watching the smoke that continued to billow from the wreakage.

He just wanted to curl up into a ball and cry.

Sitting on the beds and the floor, four silent students continually glanced from the TV news coverage of the terrorist attacks and back at the youngest member of their group. Their somber and quiet mood suggested that they had seen way too much that day.

Blue-haired, Ray Pilot spoke. "Do you think Tracy and the others will be okay?" he asked quietly, not wanting to disturb Fermat. The fact that the blue-haired boy was actually being considerate would've shocked the others yesterday. But they had all been through a disturbing past couple of hours, and were all shook up.

Alex Riley glanced at the prone figure that was sitting by the window and sighed. "I hope, for Fermat's and the Thunderbirds' sake, that they are. I don't want to think about what would happen to International Rescue if Alan doesn't survive."

"I agree," Edward Bellingham replied. "From what I read about the Tracys, they were devastated at the loss of Lucy Tracy, the wife of Jeff Tracy. I don't think they could handle another loss, especially their youngest member."

Roy Fink glanced at him. "Dude, when did you look up information on Jeff Tracy?"

Edward blushed. "A couple hours ago," he said, jerking his thumb in the direction of the computer that was in their suite.

"And may I ask _why_?" Roy asked.

"Well…"

He was saved the trouble of answering when Mr. Maus walked into the hotel room carrying two boxes of pizza. "I'm not one to cook much, but we _do_ need to eat if we're going to help out at the rescue sight tomorrow."

Five heads turned to the teacher, their eyes filled with shock and hope. "What do you mean?" Ray asked.

"Well, I didn't exactly get us permission to go down there. I just mentioned that I have some helpful volunteers who are willing to help. Granted we'll only be helping on the outer edge, but at least we'll be there and not going crazy here." Mr. Maus glanced at Fermat. "I'm told that as a member of International Rescue, you have a right to be there, helping out, Mr. Hackenbacker."

Fermat sighed. "No. I may have the r-r-right, but I'm not going to. Once they find out that we're just teens, t-they're just going to send us away." He spoke his words slowly and carefully, barely stuttering.

"Fermat! Alan's down there!"

"And Bobby!"

"And Eric!"

"And Issac and Josh!"

"My brother's there, too!"

Five pairs of eyes glanced at the teacher. "Say what?"

Mr. Maus sighed. "Mr. Swan is my half-brother, alright? Same father, different mothers. Only other difference is that my father didn't marry his mother. He got drunk and met her at a bar. She was my mother's best friend. I don't even know why I'm telling you this, but it feels good to get it off my chest. Just don't go and spread it around, okay?" he said, glaring at the boys, who nodded. He then looked at Fermat sadly. "He's all I got left of my family, you know. Mom died a while ago, Dad bolted. His mother became a drug addict and died of an overdose. We've been the best of friends, even though my mother hated his mother after what happened…

"Anyway, I feel as if I can trust you five. I…I just have to be down there. He's my brother…My best friend…"

Fermat felt horrible. He knew that they shouldn't go down there –they would only cause trouble-, but he knew how Mr. Maus felt. Fermat felt that Alan was his brother as well. He knew what he had to do.

"No," he stated firmly.

Five people blanched, staring at the small figure. "What do you mean, 'no'?" Mr. Maus demanded, taking a step toward the smaller boy.

Fermat held his ground. "We," he said slowly stated, "would j-just be ca-ca…making trouble. If you want to go, Mr. M-M-Maus, then go. We are underage and wo-wouldn't be a-a-any help. We would just get into t-t-trouble."

Mr. Maus was furious. Here was one of his students, telling _him_ no. "Listen, kid. I need to find my brother and no _child_ is going to stop me. I am your teacher, and what I say goes. What's the point of you being a member of IR if you can't get me in there to-"

Fermat glared at him, taking on a look that was never seen on his face. "I don't abuse the power given to me by the Commander. I am the T-Thunderbird member and you are not. So technically, I am in charge. I say no and that's that." If the fact that Fermat had just stood up to the teacher not been enough, then the fact that he made his little speech with barely a stutter would.

Ray felt proud of the nerd- no, Fermat.

_8:00 p.m. in England [3: 00 p.m. EST]_

**Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward's Estate in England**

Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward sighed as she prepared to step out of FAB-1. She and Parker had just gotten back from a mission and Penny was looking forward to a nice long bubble bath.

Parker opened the door and let his friend out. Once Penny was out, he grabbed her bags and followed her up the stone steps.

Neither of them had heard what had happened in New York, for they had been away from communications for two days.

_.~*~._

She took off her lustrous, pink robe and slipped under the bubbly water, leaving only her head and shoulders above the water. She immediately felt the water work its wonder on her sore muscles. Using her foot, she turned on her bath-side, waterproof TV to the world news. She then closed her eyes as she listened.

"_What you are looking at right now is what remains of the World Trade Center Towers that collapsed in Manhattan, New York, just under nine hours ago eastern time._"

Penny's eyes shot open as she stared at the screen in shock. Images of the columns of smoke that were rising from southern Manhattan appeared. Penny wasted no time in calling Parker on her cell. He soon arrived, worried by her terrified voice. His eyes widened as he took in what was being shown on the screen.

"_For those of you just tuning in, a terrorist attack on the World Trade Center Twin Towers has brought the magnificent towers down._" This time, images of the planes crashing into the towers were being shown. Soon after that, videos of the South Tower's collapse appeared, quickly followed by the North Tower.

"_The Thunderbirds arrived at different times, Thunderbird 1 arriving just as the South Tower collapse; Thunderbird 2 arriving just after the North Tower collapsed. Another Thunderbird, a red rocket known as Thunderbird 3, arrived later today. Sadly, they were too late in arriving._"

It was then that she heard the most devastating news.

"_Among the victims that are still buried in the rubble who are presumed dead, is a group of students from Wharton's Academy in Massachusetts that were on a field trip to the Twin Towers. One group had gotten out previously to the collapse of the North Tower, where they were on tour. Sadly, the second group was near the upper floors of the South Tower. Among this group is the youngest son of international billionaire and businessman, Jeff Tracy: Alan Shepard Tracy._"

Penny's hands flew up to her mouth in shock, stifling a scream that threatened to come out of her throat. The water around her sloshed around slightly.

Parker was at a loss as to what to say. After about five minutes of stunned silence, he spoke. "Shall I bring the car around?" he asked quietly.

"Yes. And bring my flight suit. I'm sure they won't believe me when I tell them that I am part of International Rescue unless I have my uniform and pin."

"Yes, Milady."

_8:30 p.m_

**Tracy Island**

"_Good evening._

_"Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts._

"_The victims were in airplanes or in their offices -- secretaries, businessmen and women, military and federal workers. Moms and dads. Friends and neighbors._

"_Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror._

"_The pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge structures collapsing, have filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness and a quiet, unyielding anger._

"_These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos and retreat. But they have failed. Our country is strong. A great people has been moved to defend a great nation._

"_Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve._

"_America was targeted for attack because we're the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from shining._

"_Today, our nation saw evil, the very worst of human nature, and we responded with the best of America, with the daring of our rescue workers, with the caring for strangers and neighbors who came to give blood and help in any way they could._

"_Immediately following the first attack, I implemented our government's emergency response plans. Our military is powerful, and it's prepared. Our emergency teams are working in New York City and Washington, D.C., to help with local rescue efforts._

"_Our first priority is to get help to those who have been injured and to take every precaution to protect our citizens at home and around the world from further attacks._

"_The functions of our government continue without interruption. Federal agencies in Washington, which had to be evacuated today are reopening for essential personnel tonight and will be open for business tomorrow._

"_Our financial institutions remain strong, and the American economy will be open for business as well._

"_The search is underway for those who are behind these evil acts. I've directed the full resources for our intelligence and law enforcement communities to find those responsible and bring them to justice. We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them._

"_I appreciate so very much the members of Congress who have joined me in strongly condemning these attacks. And on behalf of the American people, I thank the many world leaders who have called to offer their condolences and assistance._

"_America and our friends and allies join with all those who want peace and security in the world and we stand together to win the war against terrorism._

"_Tonight I ask for your prayers for all those who grieve, for the children whose worlds have been shattered, for all whose sense of safety and security has been threatened. And I pray they will be comforted by a power greater than any of us spoken through the ages in Psalm 23: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me."_

"_This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace. America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time._

"_None of us will ever forget this day, yet we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world._

"_Thank you. Good night and God bless America." _

Brains Hackenbacker listened to the television in silence as President Bush finished speaking to the American nation. _'Like a simple speech will heal the pain that parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents, sons, daughters, friends, and neighbors feel. Especially not the Tracys. They will never be healed until Alan is found. One way or another,_' he thought sadly, staring away from the screen and at another screen, which showed the individual signals of the watches. Once more, he counted them.

'_Seven.'_ His eyes widened. "S-S-SEVEN!?" he practically shouted. He knew that Fermat's was one of them. "Th-there should only b-be s-s-six! A-Alan's was c-c-c-crushed… U-Unless…"

He counted the signals once again. Once more, there were only six. '_Six_. _Must've just been wishful thinking._'

_2100 hours [9:00 p.m. for you non-military folk]_

**Jeremy Hart**

Jeremy coughed on the thick smoke that still billowed up from the rubble of the World Trade Center. He really needed a surgical mask.

He could see the lights that signaled that there were people up ahead. He walked towards them just in time to see a blond teenager being passed down on a stokes through a long line of firemen, police officers, and other rescuers. The boy's face was covered in soot, cuts, and bruises. He could tell that the boy was in a lot of pain, and not just because of the badly twisted leg.

He looked away and saw two more stokes being passed along, the bodies in them were covered with a yellow shock blanket that also covered their faces. He knew that that meant: They were dead.

He made his way up to where he saw the Thunderbirds. Their heads were all bowed and he thought that he saw tears falling from a couple eyes. He spotted the leader helping a firefighter out of a hole.

Jeff looked up. "Jeremy, right?" he questioned.

"Yes, sir. May I ask who you just found?"

Jeff nodded, brushing the dust from his gloves on his flight suit, well aware that it was useless. "Eric Santee, a teacher, and another student. Before Eric passed out on them, he told two of my men that they were Mr. Swan and Bobby Jones. It took awhile, but we freed their bodies."

"Kids… From that Wharton school? The ones who were here on a field trip?"

Jeff nodded, not trusting his voice. He forced his eyes shut, trying to prevent the tears that threatened to spill.

Scott came to his father's rescue. "We never told you our names, did we? My name is-"

"Jeff Tracy, Scott Tracy, John Tracy, Virgil Tracy, and Gordon Tracy," Jeremy interrupted. He smiled. "My little sister has been following you guys for a while. She's obsessed with you guys and the Thunderbirds. She thinks the youngest Tracy and the red-haired one are cute." Immediately, though he had tried to lighten their moods with his little announcement, he knew he had said something wrong. He looked around. "I know Alan Tracy is caught in the rubble, but where's Gordon?"

"In surgery," John answered.

His family stared at him in shock, their jaws all dropping at the same time. "Say what?!" Scott demanded.

"Why did you leave this little detail out?!" Jeff seethed angrily.

John flinched. "I was about to tell you, but then I found out that Scott and Virge were in trouble…I guess it just slipped my mind."

Virgil sighed. "Why is he in surgery?"

John made a full report. "The doctors say that he will be just fine given time and rest. His falling into the rubble didn't aggravate his back in any way that they saw."

"Thank God," Jeff whispered. "Thank God."

Lt. Shepard sighed as he turned off his radio. "Guys, they say that we must go in now. No more excuses. He's glad we found the kid, but he wants us all to go back in for replacements. Oh, and apparently they just pulled two police officers out of the South Tower rubble. Alive. Our total of surviving victims as of right now is twenty out of about two thousand, give or take a few."

"Damn it!" Jeff shouted as he kicked a piece of concrete angrily.

"That's not the worse part. They also say that at least 343 firefighters and paramedics are missing; 23 NYPD missing; 37 Port Authority cops still missing. Some fire station shifts are completely gone.

"Body parts have been found as well. At least 200 so far."

"This sucks," Jeremy growled.

"Yes, yes it does," Scott answered, placing his hand on the Air Force man's shoulder.

They all stood in silence before Jeremy suddenly looked to the heavens and began speaking. "_**Hail Mary, full of grace**_…" As he went on, the others joined in. Soon, the prayers continued on down the long line of firefighters, being carried on down to the large group of rescuers that surrounded the rubble of the once proud and tall Twin Towers.

The words seemed to echo everywhere.

"_**The Lord is with Thee; Blessed art Thou among women and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus… **_

"_**Holy Mary, Mother of God pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death…**_"

* * *

**In case you are wondering where the heck Alan is, he'll appear in the next chapter. I promise. Oh, yes, starting after this chapter will be one more featuring 9-11. The one after that will move onto 9-12. After that, who knows. **

**Goal: I am hoping to have at least 21 chapters, seven for each day.**

**I know this has taken me a while to get out, but I've been brain dead for a while. TAS will continue soon. I finally got my muse back for that one! [dances for joy]**

**Any spelling and grammer mistakes are mine. Once again, I added some stuff after I got it back from Shadowfox8...*nervous chuckle***

**Oh, and the part about Jeremy's sister [me] obsessing over the Thunderbirds...is correct. Alan and Gordon are cute! Let's see, in order of...nah... Alan's first, all the way! That's all that matters.**

**Oh, yeah. Check out my poll I made on my profile. **

**Well, gots to go! School is almost out!**

**Until next time!**

**Fenix**


	8. Part 8 A Tracy Carol

**Alright, in this part, Alan is going to be featured in bold in some places. You'll see why later.**

**There are going to be a whole heck of a lot of flashbacks this chapter… A couple of them will kinda revolve around that conversation Scott and Virgil had a few parts back. [remember that one?]**

**Also, there will be not really any times in this chapter. You'll see why later. The times will pick up next chapter!**

**There really is no excuse why I haven't updated in so long. I have had writers block, but it shouldn't have taken this long to update. I apologize. Please forgive me!**

**Oh, and the part with Gordon and medical stuff… I can't wait for mom any longer. So I just typed what I knew. If it is in accurate, forgive me. It's probably going to be, anyway… I had to put "ect" after three of them, because I couldn't figure out the name of the thing. Sorry if this bothers you, but I had too. I haven't updated in so long, so… Eventually I will fix it, but for now just please put up with it. **

**Oh, and the things that supposed to be centered aren't... this site is out to get me. I swear. :(**

**Part 9 will be out… soon… I hope...**

**Beta – **_**Shadowfox8**_** and **_**Parents**_

_**

* * *

**_

_**Part 8**_

_Time Unknown_

**Hell on Earth**

Alan had finally stopped screaming enough to register what he was seeing in front of his eyes.

Mr. Swan glared at the teenager. "_Geez! Are you trying to make me deaf? You scream like a little girl!"_ The light surrounding the red-hair, plump man cast a warm, comforting, golden glow on the trapped teen.

Alan's eyes were filled with anger. How dare this teacher say he screamed like a little girl! How rude! So, he did what any sensible person would do. He stuck his tongue out.

"_Alan, I'm just kidding. Besides, I probably would scream too if I saw my dead teacher appear out of nowhere._"

Alan froze. "Y-You're dead?" he squeaked, wishing he could back away.

Mr. Swan gave him a look that said _Are you serious?_. "_Yes, unfortunately._" He glanced at the still form of Josh. "_He's dead, too, huh? Poor kid._"

"Who else is" -cough- "dead?"

"_Bobby, Issac, Josh here, Ms. Anne McCarthy (she jumped, the fool), and myself. Only you and Eric seem to still be alive. Blondes get all the luck._"

"We get 'dumb blond' jokes," Alan pointed out. "And Ms. McCarthy was a blond and she died," he continued.

"_I guess you're right. Sucks to be you._" At Alan's incredulous look, he laughed. "_I'm __**dead**__, Tracy. I can say what I want. I'm not going to get fired, you know._"

Alan nodded. That made sense. "Why haven't you Crossed Over, yet?" he asked after a minute of silence.

Mr. Swan's face took on a sad look. "_I am not yet ready. I still have a duty as your teacher to teach and guide you in your upcoming battle._"

"Battle? What battle?"

"_You battle for survival._"

Alan looked away. "They aren't going to find me. If they wanted to find me, they would've by now."

Mr. Swan frowned. "_It seems to me that you are in need of a lesson._" He touched Alan's unbroken arm and pulled something from it.

**Alan found himself floating in the air. He looked down and saw his still body just lying there. He turned to Mr. Swan. "What the-"**

"_**You're body is fine. It is currently frozen so that the injuries you have will no longer kill you. Nothing is happening inside of your body as of right now. You're spirit, however, now exists out of time and space.**_**" Mr. Swan glared at him. "**_**I am going to show you what has been happening. It is now nighttime and the search for survivors has been called off. So far, twenty people have been rescued."**_

**Everything around them began to spin…**

_Sometime during the night_

**Thunderbird 2**

Virgil sighed as he sat down in the Medical Bay of TB2, He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall behind him and thought about their trip to the hospital to see the currently comatose redhead, water loving, prankster known as Gordon Tracy.

**Flashback**

_They walked through the streets as a tightly banded group. Their posse consisted of Jeff, Scott, John, Virgil, and Lt. Shepard. Lt. Shepard was accompanying them because one of the men in his unit had been injured as well; a slab of concrete had landed on the man's should as he had been digging and had broken his collarbone._

_Lt. Shepard groaned when he saw the sight in front of the hospital. "Boys, you may want to tie those handkerchiefs on your faces. We got press up ahead."_

_Jeff groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just what we need… Not." He quickly adjusted his handkerchief as his sons did the same._

"_You sure they'll recognize us? After all, we're kinda gray at the moment," Virgil commented as he glanced around. They were all covered in gray dust and ash._

_John smiled beneath his once-yellow handkerchief. "You know, that may be a good thing…" He paused. "What happened to our helmets anyway?"_

"_We, uh, dropped them somewhere in the heap of scrap when Gordon had his accident," Scott muttered._

_They were within ten feet of the hospital doors when the press and their pesky, annoying, and downright rude questions bombarded them._

"_How is the search going"_

"_Have you found any survivors?"_

_The questions became more annoying and persistent as the searchers plowed through. It was one question that nearly made Jeff crack._

"_Have you found Alan Tracy?" a head strong, young, blond female questioned._

_The International Rescue men froze in their tracks. The question hit them hard._

_At the same time, the other reporters began asking questions about the missing Tracy, each one a blow to the heart of the IR men._

"_Has anything been heard from the Tracy family?"_

"_Any word from Jeff Tracy?"_

"_Has Jeff Tracy tried to contact you in any way?"_

_The next question forced Scott, John, and Virgil to restrain both Lt. Shepard –who had seen how much Jeff cared- and their father from attacking the reporters. Inside, they were all fuming in anger at the rude and completely uncalled for remark._

"_Does Jeff Tracy even care?" the head strong female commented, holding her microphone in their faces. "Do any of the Tracys? Is that why they haven't made any contact?" She had no idea how wrong she was._

"_Break it up!" a voice familiar to John called from behind them._

"_You've been kicked out of this hospital once today for bothering us with your questions over the IR men, you beasts of burden! Don't make me force you to leave the grounds completely!"_

_Nurse Dixie Daka and Dr. John Daka walked into the Emergency parking lot and stepped between the reporters and the rescue men. Dr. Daka glanced back at John Tracy, winked, and smiled. "He's up in ICU __room 620. We'll get rid of __**them**__," he whispered in the blond-gray's ear._

_John patted the doctor on the shoulder and led his family and friend inside. Once inside the doors, John let go of his grip on his father's shoulder. He then walked down the hallway, looking for a certain nurse. Spotting her at the Nurse's Station, he made his way over there._

_The other's followed him, wondering where the heck the blond Tracy was going. They stopped behind him. "Johnny?" Scott questioned._

_John turned around, a smile plastered on his face. "Lt. Shepard, your man, Chet Kelly, is up in x-ray."_

"_How the-_

"_It helps to have friend on the hospital staff," John answered with a smile._

_The nurse behind the blond smiled at them. "Lt. Shepard?" she asked. Lt. Shepard stepped forward. "You can wait for your man in the staff lounge. I doubt you want to be bothered by other people, like the families of the victims, at the moment." She then directed him to the door and led the Tracys to the elevator. Glancing back, she called, "If you have family, you might want to call them and tell them that you're alive!"_

_They all entered and waited for the doors to close. Just before they closed all the way, Dr. Daka ran in._

"_Thanks for waiting, Sam," he said as he pressed the button for the sixth floor. "Dix is going to stay on the Emergency floor to help out. Since I am Gordon's doctor, I thought it prudent that I come with you."_

_John glanced at Ms. McCall. "Your name's Sam?"_

"_Short for Samantha."_

_Dr. Daka glanced at the other people in the elevator. Spotting the older one in the group, he held out his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Tracy. I'm sorry that it's under these circumstances."_

_Jeff was surprised. "How the- John? Is there something you forgot to mention?" he asked, glaring at his second oldest son._

"_Actually, Sam, here, figured it out. It wasn't just my fault!" John protested under his family's glares._

_Sam McCall had to laugh at the expressions the family was showing the blond. Before things could get __**too**__ out of hand, she intervened. "Yes, it was my discovery. And it was because of that discovery that John, here, was able to cough up half the debris in his lungs. He choked when I asked if he was John Tracy."_

_Jeff glanced between the two blondes and grimaced. Too many times today had people learned of the Tracy family secret. It was only a matter of time before the press found out. "Alright, alright. I'm sure you know not to tell anyone, correct?"_

_Dr. Daka smiled. "That's the best part about a doctor knowing. Doctor-patient confidentiality."_

_Virgil laughed behind his hand._

_Jeff decided to get down to business. "Dr. Daka," he began, "how is my-" The elevator came to a stop and the doors opened before he could finish. The hallway in front of them was empty, save for a couple nurses checking up on patients. He continued in a quiet voice. "How is my son?"_

_Dr. Daka and Sam glanced at each other. "I'll go and distract the nurses. Heaven knows that we don't need them coming after you guys," Sam said._

_Watching her go, Dr. Daka sighed and glanced at the Tracys. "Let me take you to his room and I'll tell you there." He led the way down the hall to the very last door and stopped outside of it, turning back to the Tracys. "Now, you may be startled at his physical appearance, namely his head…"_

_"What's wrong?"_

_"Um… he's bald…"_

_Scott let out a snort, which he quickly muffled behind his hand and the harsh clearing of his throat. He just couldn't imagine Gordon being bald. Normally, he was the guy who worried a lot, right? Couldn't he have a chance at his own amusement?_

_Virgil elbowed his older brother and pushed past the good doctor and entered the room, quickly followed by his father and older brothers._

_Jeff stared at his prankster of a son with a heavy heart. Gordon was hooked up to a heart monitor, chest tube, IVs, ect..._

_The heart monitor –also known as a scope- showed sinus tach. Each breath the younger Tracy took was slower than normal and shallow. The Tracy patriarch looked back at the doctor. "Is he really going to be alright?"_

_"Your kid has a hard head. It's a miracle that he wasn't brought in DOA."_

_"You know, he's not going to be happy that he's bald," John commented quietly, unaware that he had spoken aloud until he saw the amused glances he was being given, causing him to blush._

_"He's in a coma at the moment, but we believe he should come out of it within the next 48 hours. He's got a lot of activity going on in that brain of his," Sam added, walking into the room. She kept glancing at John._

_"Must be planning his next prank."_

_All eyes turned to the Jeff look-alike known as Scott. The Tracys caught each others' eyes and laughed. It felt good to be able to laugh again, even if the laughter died out and the room fell into a somber mood a few minutes later._

**End Flashback**

They had left the hospital shortly after that and made their way through the dusty and dirty streets to Thunderbird 2. Lt. Shepard had stayed behind with the rest of his men; Jeremy was sleeping in his truck, or, at least, attempting to; Gordon was still in the hospital; and Alan…

Virgil looked at his father and then back at the floor of his 'bird. Tears had been streaming down his face for the past five minutes and he made no attempt to wipe them away.

Next to him sat John, who was just staring at the floor, not moving. He was lost in his own thoughts and memories of the last time he had seen his little brother. Had it really been five days ago?

**Flashback**

_John looked up from his desk at the tentative knock on his bedroom door. "Come in," he called, setting down his pencil on the workbook._

_His eyes widened as the door slowly opened, revealing the hesitant form of Alan. His eyes were closed and his face ashen with a slight green tinge to it. He was shaking slightly._

_John immediately jumped out and guided the youngest Tracy to his bed and sat him down on the orange quilts. He knelt before the badly shaken teen. "Alan? What's wrong? Do you want me to call Virgil? Are you sick, buddy?" John asked, placing his hand on his baby brother's arms, rubbing the sleeved skin. '_Well of course he's sick, dummy! Look at his face!_' he mentally berated himself. _

_Alan didn't answer. He didn't even acknowledge his older brother as his eyes slowly opened, revealing a startling sight._

_His eyes were glowing with a golden color._

_John practically jumped back with a startled cry. He heard Alan whisper something that he couldn't decipher before the golden glow disappeared and Alan's eyes returned to their normal color. He slumped forward, his eyes now closed, held up only by his brother's firm grip. John figured the glow was from the overhead light and just a trick._

_He gently began to shake him, hoping to get a response from the non-responsive teen. After a few seconds, he got his wish as Alan's slowly opened._

"_John? What are you doing in my room?" Alan asked shakily, his voice filled with an emotion that John couldn't figure out, but it sounded like…fear? Alan looked around in confusion. "How did I get here? When did I get here?" he practically screeched._

_John was slightly surprised. "What's the last thing you remember, Sprout?"_

_Alan blinked. "Going to my room for the night. It's past eleven, you know."_

_John glanced at his watch. "Alan, it's past one in the morning!"_

"_Really? That's nice…"_

_John looked back up at his brother, only to find him sound asleep in his arms. He smiled through his worry, vowing to find out what was going on with his baby bro, and gently got up, lying his brother on the bed. He kissed the sleeping teen's forehead and covered him up with the blanket his mother had made for him so many years ago. He then turned off the nightstand rocket lamp and made his way back to his desk._

_He was going back up to 5 tomorrow afternoon; the station having been fully repaired after the Spring Break of Hell. He couldn't help but worry about his kid brother, though. Something was going on with the youngest Tracy._

_And he wanted to know what._

**End Flashback**

Scott sat on the other side of the medical part of the green ship with their father, talking quietly to him. "Dad, it's okay to cry. Let it all out."

* * *

**Alan watched his brothers sadly. "Dad's not going to cry, Scotty. He's a tough dude," he whispered.**

"_**They cannot hear you, Tracy. We are only observers. Stay quiet and listen.**_**"**

**Alan did as he was told.**

* * *

"I can't cry. Not yet. Not until we find my baby boy," Jeff whispered as he held back his tears.

Tears fell from Scott's blue eyes. "Dad..." he pleaded. He knew that if his father kept all the emotions inside of him, he would eventually crack. He looked at the others pleadingly.

Virgil got up, walked over, and sat on his father's left side. He wrapped his arms around his father's shoulders and rested his head on the left one. "Dad, Alan and Gordon are fighters. You heard the doctor. Gordon's going to be fine. And Alan-" he broke off with a choked sob and removed his arm from his father's shoulder.

Jeff wrapped his arm around Virgil and let him cry on his shoulder. He wrapped his other arm around Scott's shoulder and let him cry on his other shoulder. He looked over at John, who still hadn't moved.

John was lost in his own little world of self-doubt and guilt. '_I should've gotten Alan connected to Dad quicker. Maybe we could've prevented this whole thing. We never should've let him go…_' He knew the thoughts were pointless, but he couldn't help but think them. Something gently pushed him up and made him walk in the direction of his father. He knelt down in front of his father and rested his head on Jeff's lap, just like he used to do when he was younger. A single tear fell down his dirty cheek, quickly followed by more as sobs racked his body.

* * *

**Alan moved away from helping John up and over to their father, and watched his family cry in silence, his own tears pouring down his face. He turned and looked at Mr. Swan. "What happened to Gordy?"**

"_**He found us. He was talking to Eric when he fell through the rubble. He's going to be okay.**_**" Mr. Swan sighed. "**_**Come, we have more to visit."**_

**Alan immediately protested. "No! I can't leave them!" He walked over to his family and wrapped his arms around each of them.**

"_**Alan, we must go.**_**"**

* * *

Jeff listened to his sons' cries and could no longer hold back his own tears.

His boy… his baby boy was trapped in the damn, God-forsaken, scrap pile and presumed dead. They could no longer trace his watch, another indication that the rebellious teen had been crushed under two tons of concrete slabs and steel beams.

Tears streamed down his face as he remembered when he had last seen his son –and _not_ through a watch.

Was it really just yesterday?

**Flashback**

_Jeff was worried. Alan hadn't spoken the whole trip from Tracy Island to Wharton's. Normally, he was sorta like this, but… Where was the moodiness? Then again, he __**was**__ going to New York tonight, getting checked into their hotel, and going to the Trade Center tomorrow… Maybe that's it._

_Jeff didn't think so._

_Both he hand Fermat had tried to engage the teen in a conversation, but to no avail. He just continued to stare out the window, a distant look in his eyes; or, from what Jeff could tell by looking at the mirror._

_As he pulled up to Wharton's front entrance and let Fermat out, telling him that he would help him in a minute –to which Fermat nodded while closing the back door and casting one last worried glance at his best friend- Jeff turned to his son. "Alan, what's wrong, kiddo? Spill."_

_Alan jumped, as if he had just woken from a daydream to the teacher yelling at him for not paying attention again. He glanced around with confused eyes and let out a fake yawn to cover up his confusion. "I must've fallen asleep. When did we get here?"_

_Jeff wasn't buying it; his son was lying to him. He just wanted to know __**why**__. "Alan-" he began to say in a tone that signaled to the teen that he was worried, but was cut off by his son._

"_What is it with you people and questioning everything I say or do? All weekend, all I've heard was "Are you alright, Sprout?", "What's wrong, kiddo?", and stuff like that! I'm sick of it! As if these dang dreams weren't enough?" Immediately, Alan shut up. He had said too much._

_Jeff, first hurt by what Alan had said, was startled. "What dreams?" he demanded, a bad feeling settling in gut. When Alan didn't respond, he tried again. "Allie, __**what**__ dreams?"_

_Alan still didn't respond. Instead, he just opened the car door and got out, slamming the door behind him. Jeff sighed and got out after him. "Alan-" he began again, but was once more cut off._

"_Just… Just don't… Ah, forget it. It's nothing, Dad. Just never mind." Alan grabbed his dufflebag and followed Fermat up the main steps. He glanced back only once. "I'm sorry, Dad. I didn't mean to snap at you. I… I've just barely gotten sleep. I'm just tired, that's all."_

_It was those words that nearly made Jeff go up the steps and force his son back into the car. Alan not getting sleep? Unheard of unless he was sick._

'When you get back from New York, kid, we're going to talk about these dreams,_' Jeff thought with determination. _

**End Flashback**

'_I should've made him stay in the SUV and talk to me. Now I may never get that chance. I'm… I'm such a fool…'_

* * *

**Alan wrapped his arms around his father and kissed his cheek. **

"_Hyub sahb ny omw_

"_Byerc stnioldot_

"_Smlae epret leihket yoyuber redock_

"_Srleebpm aenmder_

"_My lbulaly_

"_Amdade irld luboey wniethhw uyo,"_ **he quietly sang. Seeing Mr. Swan's look of bewilderment and surprise, he smiled. "Mom used to sing it to me to get me to calm down before her accident." He then looked back to his family and smiled. "I love you guys... I hope you know that."**

**He then turned to Mr. Swan. "I'm ready."**

* * *

Jeff, Scott, John, and Virgil all looked up and stopped their crying for a minute. "Did anyone else feel that?" Scott asked.

"Did anyone else hear that?" John questioned.

The others nodded. "It felt like…" Virgil whispered.

"It sounded like…" Jeff slowly said.

"Alan…"

"Alan wouldn't want us to cry. He'd want us to be strong for him," Jeff whispered, wiping his tears. "He'd want us to be strong for each other."

The others nodded and wiped their tears. Their eyes took on looks of determination.

Suddenly, Scott froze. "He knew…"

All eyes turned to him. "What?" John asked.

Scott's eyes took on a pained look. "He knew that something bad was going to happen! He tried to tell me and I wouldn't listen!"

"Scott, what the heck are you talking about?" Jeff demanded.

Scott looked at his father…

**Flashback**

"_You ready to go, Sprout?"_

_Alan looked up and saw his eldest brother, Scott, standing in the doorway. Alan beckoned for him to come in._

_Scott walked over to the bed and picked up a picture out of the suitcase and studied it. Alan went back to packing._

_Scott smiled as he looked at the picture –which was an image of all five brothers together, standing in front of the pool-, and looked back up at Alan. His smile turned into a frown when Alan still didn't anything. Setting the picture back into the suitcase, he placed a hand on Alan's shoulder. "Allie? What's wrong, kiddo?"_

_Alan turned towards his oldest brother. "Nothing," he muttered, not meeting Scott's eyes._

"_Al…Alan, you can tell me what's bugging you." Scott sighed when Alan didn't answer. "Talk to me, Sprout. I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong."_

_Alan sighed before answering. "I-I'm sc-…worried. I just have a really bad felling that something is going to happen…"_

"_Alan, you're going to have a great time New York. Don't worry," Scott said, bugging his brother._

"_Something is telling me I shouldn't go. I don't know what, or who, but… it… it sounds like Mom. She's warning of something. I know she is."_

"_Al…?"_

"_Nreve dimn, Scotty."_

"_What?"_

_Alan shook his head and let out a small laugh. "Don't mind me. I'm just rambling nonsense." He went back to packing, his eyes still bearing__ a worried look._

**End Flashback**

"I can't believe I forgot!" Scott sighed angrily.

"I guess Gordon was right. That kid has _got_ to have ESP," Virgil muttered. All eyes turned to him. "What? That's what he's always saying. How do you think he's managed to stay alive all these years? He knew we would kill him if we found him after one of his and Gordo's pranks."

Nobody heard Jeff's muttered words, "Luce was right…She knew he was different." He shook his head and spoke in a louder tone. "Alright! Everyone, let's get to sleep. I want to get back to searching for Alan bright and early!" he ordered.

They all got up and grabbed a cot that was in the storage area. They all set them up right next to each other, comforting one another as they went to sleep. Quietly, just before they slipped into darkness, each one prayed for the safety and survival of their family.

* * *

**Alan smiled as everything began to swirl.**

* * *

**Tracy Island**

* * *

**Alan smiled as he recognized his island home. "I'm home! I'm really home!" he practically screeched as he acted like a five-year-old on Christmas, wanting to brag to his parents about the gifts he had received.**

**Mr. Swan winced at the noise and smiled. "**_**Not physically, you know.**_**" He looked around, letting out a low whistle of appreciation. "**_**This is a beautiful place. No wonder you are always daydreaming in class.**_**" **

**Alan didn't respond.**

"_**Alan? Tracy!"**_** Mr. Swan floated around, trying to find his wayward charge. "**_**Al-"**_** he broke off with a smile when he found his former student.**

**Alan was standing/floating semi-transparently next to a dark-tanned, dark haired girl about his age. She was sleeping fitfully on a poolside lounge chair. Alan placed his hand on her shoulder, leaned down, and kissed her on the cheek. Instantly, her breathing evened out and her face calmed.**

"**Sleep well, Tin-Tin," he whispered. He slowly backed away from his girlfriend and blushed when he saw Mr. Swan's amused look. "What?"**

"_**Oh, nothing, nothing. Young love…so beautiful when done right. Now I see why you're usually so busy and not being able to finish your homework."**_

"**What can I say? She tends to talk a lot. Not that I mind, though," Alan responded with his madly blushing face.**

**Mr. Swan laughed. "**_**Let's go and see the rest, shall we?"**_

**Alan nodded. "Let's see… With Dad and guys in TB2, Brains would be in the office." Alan led the way, glancing back at Tin-Tin a couple times; he didn't know if he would ever see her again.

* * *

**

Tin-Tin woke with a start, running her hands along her cheek. She felt warm tingle on it, the same kind of feeling she gets when her boyfriend kisses her. She looked around. "Alan?"

* * *

**They found Brains lying on the couch in the office, fast asleep, with his glasses still on. Alan smiled and walked over to him. "Am I able to grab things?" he asked; Mr. Swan nodded. Alan gently took off Brains' glasses and placed them on the table next to him.**

"**Thank God Fermat got out," Alan whispered. "Brains wouldn't be able to cope if he lost his only son. Unlike my Dad. He's got four other sons to take care of."**

**Mr. Swan smacked his forehead. "**_**You are **__**so**__** not getting the point of these images, are you?**_**"

* * *

**

Brains started and blinked, wondering why everything was blurry. He slowly sat up and ran his hand down his face. He frowned when he didn't find his glasses on his nose. Feeling around, he soon found them on the table next to him. He picked them up and frowned before putting them on.

"Odd," he muttered before standing up and stretching. He rubbed his hands against his arms and shivered. "Why is it so ch-ch-ch…c-cold?" he wondered aloud as he went over to the thermostat, turning it up.

* * *

"_**Come, Alan. There is more you must see.**_**"**

"**What about Kyrano and Onaha?" Alan demanded.**

**Mr. Swan sighed and waved his hand. Instead of everything swirling around, what looked like a holographic viewing screen appeared in front of them. Instantly, a moving image of Kyrano and Onaha appeared.**

**They were sitting side-by-side looking at the stars from their home. They were talking to each other in their native tongue. Alan could understand bits and pieces of it from what he learned from Tin-Tin. He understood enough to be able to tell that they were worried about their daughter and…**

"**Me? Why would they be… nevermind."**

"_**You see enough now?**_**" Alan nodded. "**_**Then let's go.**_**" Mr. Swan snapped his fingers and away they went.**

* * *

**Fermat and Group**

* * *

Ray looked at the boy half lying/sitting in the window seat. He yawned. "Fermat, go to sleep…" he mumbled. "The doc said you had rest, dude."

"I can't…" came the whispered reply. "I refuse…"

Ray got up from the mattress, grabbing a spare blanket on the way. He walked over to the younger boy and draped the quilt around his shoulders. "You should keep warm, at least," he said.

"Thanks…" Fermat pulled the blanket around him tightly.

* * *

"**What's wrong with Fermat? Usually he's out like a light long before now," Alan commented, watching the scene before him with concern.**

**Mr. Swan gave him a sideways glance. "**_**You're kidding, right?**_**" He cuffed him upside the head. "**_**He's terrified, genius! You are his best friend, and he doesn't even know if you're alive!**_**"**

"**Ow! Hey!"**

"_**Is for horses."**_

"**Wha-"**

"_**Nevermind.**_**"**

**Alan glared at him for a moment before turning back to his friend. "He's really scared, isn't he."**

"_**No duh, Sherlock.**_**"**

**Alan glared at his teacher. "That was rhetorical." Not giving his former teacher a chance to respond, he glanced back at his friend and continued. "I've been horrible to him. I didn't listen to him last Spring Break and because of that, he and Tin-Tin were captured by the Hood's minion –I think his name was Mullion- and stuffed in a freezer."**

**Mr. Swan looked at him with surprise. "**_**Huh?**_**"**

**Alan continued as if Mr. Swan hadn't said anything. "We nearly got roasted in Thunderbird 1's silo because of the Hood…" he trailed off as Ray spoke again.

* * *

**

"Dude, if you need to cry, then cry. I won't tell," Ray said as he stared out the window and at the dark sky. In the distance, he could see the three Thunderbirds parked practically side-by-side, their hulls gleaming in the bright floodlights that illuminated them. '_What must it be like flying those things?_' He was pulled out of his musings by the meek voice.

"I can't. A-Alan doesn't, so I won't."

"Why?" Ray questioned, pulling up a chair and sitting down.

"He s-says that T-Tracys don't cry. It's a s-sign of w-w-weakness."

"But you're not a Tracy! You're a Haken…er…backer!"

"V-Very few can even pro-pro…say my surname. I don't w-want to be the sience nerd! I don't want to be d-defended! I wand to d-defend! I wanna _be_like Alan!" Fermat cried quietly. He buried his head in his arms and uselessly tried to hide the tears that fell down his face.

* * *

**Alan's jaw dropped as he stared at his best friend in astonishment. "I…I had no idea…"**

"_**What do you think he's going to do if you die?**_**"**

"**I-I don't…I…"**

**Mr. Swan snapped his fingers again.**

* * *

**FAB-1**

* * *

**Alan looked around as he found himself sitting on one side of Lady P. "What am I doing here?" he asked.**

"_**She feels guilty about what happened. She blames herself for what happened,**_**" Mr. Swan said from the other side of Penny.**

"**She couldn't have stopped it! Nobody could've stopped what happened!" Alan cried.**

**Mr. Swan looked at him with sympathy. "**_**I know. If I had known what was going to happen today, I would've done everything I could to stop us from coming to the Towers.**_**" He let out a snort. "**_**I bet that fool of a Headmaster is having a Heyday."**_

**Alan turned to look at Lady P.

* * *

**

Tears streaked her red, puffy cheeks. Normally she was able to keep a level head, but she had never been faced with something like this before.

She took another tissue to her eyes, dabbing away the tears as they flew through the air.

"Milady, there is nothing we could've done," Parker said quietly.

"We could've gathered Intel!"

* * *

"**No you couldn't. Did you know what they were planning? Did you have any reason to suspect this would happen?" Alan asked, even though he was fully aware that she couldn't hear him. "You can't stop everything, Lady P.**

**Mr. Swan sighed. "**_**Alan…**_**" he began.**

**Alan cut him off. "Let's go. I can't stand to see her tear herself up over me. I'm not worth it."**

**Mr. Swan glared at him. "**_**I see that you are still in need of a lesson**_**." He snapped his fingers and everything began to shift.**

**Into the Future…**

**Alan blinked. Around him were palm trees that seemed dull and lifeless. The sky above him was gray and bleak as rain poured down. The edges of his vision were clouded and smeared, like a dream sequence in a movie. For a brief moment, he wondered where the dream sequence music was. But none of that mattered. He knew where he was and it scared the crap outta him.**

"**What happened to Tracy Island?"**

**Mr. Swan just glanced at him, not saying anything. He merely pointed down a path.**

"**Don't pull the whole, 'Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come' act on me, damn it! What the hell is going on?" Alan cried.**

**Once more, Mr. Swan pointed at the path.**

**Alan let out a groan. "Fine. I'll walk along the stupid path." He then proceeded forward, grumbling the entire time. The path winded through the dark and dense jungle until it ended at the main villa.**

**Alan's eyes widened in horror as he took in the sight before him. The Tracy home was in disarray: the pool was filthy and full of leaves, as if someone had forgotten to clean it out after the last big storm. The patio was covered in filth and broken tree limbs; Kyrano's once beautiful garden was now in ruins; and Onaha's kitchen was trashed.**

**He began to run. "Scotty? Johnny? Virgil! Gordon? Dad!" he shouted, his heart filling with fear. He raced through the house, kicking open bedroom doors and calling his brothers' and his father's names as he went.**

**Finally, he reached his father's study/Command and Control Center of International Rescue. But as of right now, it was the study and his family was gathered inside. All but Scott.**

"**Guys?" Alan stepped in the middle of his three brothers.**

**They didn't acknowledge him, but continued to stare at the monitor, where a man wearing a fire helmet was looking at them. Alan listened as well.**

"Mr. Tracy, we finally found the last three Wharton students between yesterday and today. Your son is finally coming home," _the man on the screen said. "_Though we don't know for sure which one is Alan. Two of the bodies were found together and…let's just say it wasn't pretty. The other kid…"_ He shuddered._ "His skull was completely crushed under a steel beam. The rest of his body was pretty much the same. The only way we knew he was from Wharton's was the fact that he was still wearing his school uniform."

_Gordon shuddered; John blanched; Virgil stared up at the ceiling; and Jeff just stared at the monitor, his expression unreadable. It was easy to tell that they were all trying very hard not to cry._

_Jeff swallowed back his tears and quietly spoke. "What do you mean you aren't sure which one is Alan?"_

_The man looked down._

"_Lt. Shepard, please. Please tell us what you mean," John said, stepping forward._

_Lt. Shepard sighed and looked back up at the screen. "_You sure you want to know?_" Jeff and the others nodded. "_Fine. We…that is, the doctors are currently trying to separate the remains of the two bodies found together from each other. They, uh…sorta fell into each other while they were…decaying…"

_Gordon felt the bile rise in his throat up into his mouth. He jumped back and ran out of the room. Apparently he didn't made it to a trash can in time as they heard him fall to his hands and knees as the sound of vomit meeting the tile floor outside of the room echoed inside the office_

_John and Virgil didn't move, their faces both an ashen color mixing with green. Jeff couldn't move; he just stared, unblinking, at the monitor, his eyes filled with horror._

* * *

**Alan backed out of the room and ran into –rather, **_**through**_**- Gordon. He couldn't stop. He had to escape this nightmare. "Mr. Swan? Mr. SWAN!" he yelled when he couldn't find his dead teacher. **

**He came out of the villa and ran to the service tunnel entrance. He knew where he would find Scott. He found the door locked –no surprise there- and attempted to open it. He let out a frustrated curse when it didn't unlock. He pounded on the door and let out a startled yell when he phased through it.**

**He landed on the floor with a grunt. He glanced back with surprise at the still closed door. '**_**Oh, right… I'm…er…actually, I have no freakin idea what the hell is going on.**_**' He stood up and looked around. His eyes widened in shock.**

**Around him were pieces of Thunderbird 1. It was as if it was in various stages of being dismantled. But why?**

**He backed out of the silo, phasing –still not used to that- through pieces of the once silver hull and through the silo doors. Once free of the silo, he turned around, expecting to see the familiar green craft known to the world as Thunderbird 2 –but known to the family [meaning everybody but Jeff and Virgil] as the "Green Bug".**

**What he found were the dismantled pieces of the giant green craft. Well, it was either dismantled or hadn't been taken care of for a very long time.**

"**This…this can't be happening!" he screamed as he backed away. He had to find the Belegants. Tin-Tin would know what to do!**

"_You won't find her, Alan. You shouldn't even be here, you know."_ **The voice was familiar. Alan slowly turned around to find Kyrano –or someone who had a remarkable resemblance to him- walking towards him. He looked different; more like a hallow shell of his former self.**

"**Kyrano?" Alan questioned, slowly taking a step back.**

"_Yes, Mr. Alan. Like I said, you don't belong in this dimension,_"** the faithful Tracy manservant said.**

"**What happened here? How can you see me? What's going on?"**

"_Your brother Scott went off to fight in the war when you died. International Rescue fell to pieces when a suicide bomber killed him in Afghanistan six months ago. Mr. Tracy could barely keep his other sons here after that. _

"_My daughter fell into a deep depression that we couldn't pull her out of when you died. She ended up killing herself._

"_My wife left after that, as did the Hackenbackers. I stayed behind to try and keep the rest of the Tracys together._

"_I can see you because I, like my daughter and brother, have a gift of the mind. You, like my family, also have a gift. A gift far more powerful."_** He held up his hand, preventing a confused Alan from speaking. **_"I cannot tell you any more. You will find out in time. But in order for you to do that, you must return to your dimension._" **Kyrano touched his pointer finger to Alan's forehead and said something in Malaysian. **

**A bright, white light surrounded Alan and he knew no more.**

* * *

**Present Day**

* * *

Alan shook his head, trying to clear it. He immediately regretted it as his head began to throb. "Ow…" he moaned. He slowly looked around and groaned. He was back in Hell on Earth. "Great."

"_Where have you been, Tracy? You go on that path and disappear!"_ Mr. Swan demanded, appearing in front of the trapped teen.

"Where have _**you**_ been?" Alan countered, fixing a very "Onaha-like" glare are the dead teacher. "I go down the damn path and _**you**_ frickin' disappear! So _**you**_ tell _**me**_ what happened!"

They continued glaring at each other for another few minutes before the teacher looked away.

"_Don't do that! It's creepy!"_

Alan just smiled cheekily. "I win."

"_I don't know what happened, Alan. I have no clue,"_ Mr. Swan whispered.

Alan's eyes took on a distant look. "What…What makes you so sure that…that I'm getting out of here?" he quietly questioned after a few minutes.

Mr. Swan looked surprised. "_I don't. That's up to __**you**__ to decide. Do you __**want**__ to live?"_

Alan didn't answer. He was turning over the question in his mind.

Mr. Swan sighed, exasperated. He began to fade. "_You'll make the right decision, Alan. I know you will."_ He looked around before his eyes looked up. They began to glow with a heavenly light and he looked back down at his charge. "_It is my time to finally Cross Over."_

"W-Wait!"

"_Goodbye, Mr. Tracy…And good luck…"_

"Don't leave me alone!"

"_You're only as alone as you __**think**__ you are…_" Mr. Swan completely disappeared, leaving Alan alone in the darkness.

Alan wanted to strangle someone, preferably the bastards who had flown the planes into the Trade Centers and left him in this mess.

After a few minutes, he decided that just lying there and doing nothing wouldn't help him. He began to call for help.

Actually, more like _scream_ for help.

He had made his decision. He did _not_ want to die. At least, not without a fight.

* * *

**So, what do you people think? Doesn't this just kinda scream "Christmas Carol"? Oh, and Scott's memory? I've been trying to work that into here since part 3. Wow, I'm sad….**

**The part with the memories of Alan will be explained in due time. Sorry if it confused you, but...**

**Already beginning part 9, so REVIEW! NO REVIEW, NO UPDATE! Reviews are like sugar to me. They make me type faster!**

**And make me really hyper!**

**I made a WTC picture promo. Go to:** **phoenix-uzumaki. Deviantart . com /art/Thunderbirds-WTC-Promo-155334202**

**and for The Apologize Saga: http:/Phoenix-Uzumaki . deviantart . com /art/The-Apologize-Saga-172202890**

**To see the image! It's rather cool! Just remove the spaces…duh…**

**You guys got to give me my motivation!**


	9. Part 9 A New Day

**Okay, here's part 9. Sorry for the long wait.**

**I don't know street names, so they will be made up. Live with it.**

**Okay, here's part 9. Sorry for the long wait.**

**I don't know street names, so they will be made up. Live with it.**

**Oh, and the first time sequence in this part is on 9-11 at Wharton's Academy.**

* * *

_**PART 9**_

_**The Search, Day 2**_

_[9-11] 9:31 a.m. – whenever_

**Wharton's Academy for Boys, Massachusetts**

"_All teachers please escort their students to the auditorium for an emergency announcement._"

In every room of the boarding school, students and teachers looked at the intercom in confusion. The school day had just begun at Wharton's Academy.

Ms. Garret, one of the Algebra teachers, frowned. "Now what does he want?" she wondered aloud. Not pausing to think about it any longer, she turned to her students. "Well, get up and form a straight line. Now!" she barked.

Instantly, the twenty-four boys stood up and lined up at the door. They whispered to each other, all wondering the same thing: _What was going on?_Ms. Garret took her place at the front of the line and led her class out of the room.

They were joined in the hallway by several other classes, and soon the hallway was bustling with sound. The teachers didn't bother to quiet the teenagers, for they were just as anxious and curious as their students.

As everyone filed into the auditorium, the giant projection screen began to roll down the center of the stage. Taking heavy footsteps, Headmaster Rolfe crossed the stage–strain covering every inch of the man's face. Grabbing the microphone, he addressed the students.

"Everyone, please settle down." When that didn't work, he raised his voice until it was almost a yell. "Everyone, please be quiet!" Everyone finally became quiet and he cleared his throat. "I never thought I would see the day that I stood in front of you all and told you that our country is under attack."

Muttering burst forth from the students and teachers themselves.

"What are you talking about?" a boy shouted from the middle of the auditorium.

"As you all know, we sent ten students on a field trip to Manhattan to study the World Trade Center Twin Towers," Rolfe paused, waiting a few moments before continuing. "This morning, the World Trade Centers in lower Manhattan were attacked by two 767s. The North Tower was hit at 8:45. The South Tower was hit at 9:03."

"What?" someone yelled.

"When the planes struck, the ten students were in the North and South Tower," Rolfe went on.

"Are they okay?" a teacher cried.

"I… I don't know."

The Headmaster nodded at someone off-stage, and the projection screen was illuminated by a blue screen. The lights in the room went out as the blue screen changed to moving pictures.

"I have had Mrs. Draco get live video footage from CBS. This is happening right now," Rolfe said.

"_This just in, apparently a group of ten students from a school in Massachusetts were visiting the Trade Centers this morning. Five of the students have been evacuated from the lower levels of the North Tower and are being taken away as we speak._" The camera showed a bald, body-builder-type man carrying a familiar form.

"That's Mr. Maus!" a student cried.

"And Fermat!" another yelled.

"Shh!" several others yelled.

"_The other five students, we are told, were in the upper floors of the South Tower when the plane struck and are presumed dead or trapped. Among these group of students in the South Tower is the youngest son of former astronaut and billionaire Jeff Tracy, Alan Tracy."_

Ms. Garret was startled, as were many others. "Oh, my God," she whispered as her normally crossed arms went slack. Finally, the reality of it all hit her and she raised her hands up to her mouth.

"_Every attempt to get to those still trapped in the South Tower is underway as people on the ground pray for the lives of loved ones still trapped in either building. An emergency call has just gone out to International Rescue, asking for their aid in wake of this disaster. We can only hope that it will be enough."_

"Yeah! The Thunderbirds will save them!" someone shouted. A cheer went up.

"_This is Laura Maluway signing off from Ground Zero._"

Anxious muttering broke out and went on for several minutes. Students gathered in groups, as did the teachers. They stayed that way for almost twenty minutes, all watching the continuing news broadcast.

Suddenly, there was yelling as a loud roar filled the auditorium. Everyone's heads swiveled around and stared at the screen in shock as the South Tower came down.

And just as it came down, Thunderbird One arrived.

Several people screamed.

It wasn't until later that they all learned that the South Tower group never made it out of the tower before it collapsed.

_6:30 a.m._

**Thunderbird 2**

Jeff blinked and yawned, wondering why he was lying on a cot in the medical wing of Thunderbird 2 and why his whole body ached. He sat up, running his hand down his face. Mid-face, he froze as he remembered the previous day's events.

"Alan…" he quietly whispered as he recalled something his youngest had said yesterday.

"_Daddy? I wanna go home…"_

Jeff sighed and glanced at his other sons.

Scott was curled up on his cot with tear tracks on his cheeks – as if he had been crying in his sleep. A low word was whispered from his lips, causing Jeff's heart to clench. "Alan…" the sleeping Tracy whispered. He shifted slightly before settling back down again.

John was lying on his back, his eyes half open, but he was surely asleep –the snores kinda set that off. He grumbled slightly and clenched his eyes, as if he was trying to get away from some kind of pain. Jeff rested his hand on the blonde's shoulder, smiling as he relaxed once more.

Virgil was lying on his stomach, one arm hanging limply off the cot and brushing the floor. Jeff had to muffle his chuckle at the sight. It was just so darn _cute_!

Jeff contemplated waking them up, but he knew he should let them sleep a few more mintues. It was a battle to get all of them to sleep for as long as they had. The previous day hadn't been an easy one. In fact, it had been a page out of his nightmares. Watching his sleeping sons, Jeff's mind began to drift to his youngest boy….

**Flashback**

"_Daddy?"_

_Jeff jumped at the small voice. He turned in his chair to look at his doorway, where a seven-year-old Alan was standing, rubbing his eyes with one hand and clutching a teddy bear in the other. The arm clutching the teddy was currently in a cast, due to the youngest Tracy attempting to jump off a swing and failing miserably a few days earlier._

"_Allie, what are you doing up?" Jeff asked, walking over to his youngest son and scooping him up in his arms. The boy wrapped his arms around his father - well, __**attempted **__to wrap the cast-clad one, but failing and letting out a whimper of pain. "Al, don't do that, kiddo. You're going to hurt yourself even more!"_

_Apparently his tone was harsher than he meant as the younger Tracy flinched. "Allie, I'm sorry. I'm just tired and have these business reports to do," he said quietly._

_Alan's eyes lit up. "Can I help?" he asked, turning his wide, baby blue eyes towards the Tracy patriarch. "Please? I'll be real good!"_

_Jeff sat down on the couch in his office, setting the baby of the family on his lap, and laughed. "You should be in bed, kiddo. Besides, why would you want to help me with paperwork?"_

"_Because then I would get to spend some time with you," the younger Tracy whispered, looking down at his cast. "I'm always spending time with Scotty, Johnny, Virgil, and Gordy, but not with my Daddy." He turned his baby blue eyes up to his father. "Why can't I ever spend time with you? Did I do something wrong?"_

_Jeff flinched. When __**had**__ he last spent time with the seven-year-old? Wait, when did he grow up so fast? He sighed. "I'm sorry for not spending any time with you, baby," he whispered, drawing Alan close to his chest and resting his chin on the younger boy's head. Two tears streaked his cheeks. "I'm so, so sorry…" More tears followed._

"_I missed you, Daddy. I missed you lots," Alan cried, clutching his father's polo shirt and crying into it. __He__ was dimly aware of his father rubbing his back as he cried. After a few minutes of hiccups and tears, he quietly asked, "I still help you with paperwork?" he asked sleepily._

_Jeff chuckled through his tears of regret. "Sure, why not. You can help me by keeping me company and awake." A soft snore was his only answer. Jeff glanced down and found his baby sleeping against his chest. He didn't want to move; he was too comfortable. He glanced up at his desk and smiled. "Oh, well. The paperwork can wait until tomorrow. Too tired, __anyhow__…" __he whispered and__ leaned back._

_Looking up he briefly noticed in the corner of his eye four faces in the doorway, all watching with smiles on their faces. Jeff smiled in return.__ "Go to bed," he said quietly, not looking at them. He heard the scuttling sounds of bare feet against the cold floor and his smile grew. He closed his eyes and drifted into a peaceful sleep, his arms still wrapped around his little boy__-his little Thunderbird._

**End Flashback**

His HT—HandiTalk—crackled to life. "_Jeff? Jeff, are you there?_" Lt. Shepard asked over the radio.

Jeff picked it up. "I'm here, Lieutenant. What do you need?"

"_We relieve the previous shift in forty-five minutes. If you want, your boys can sleep for a little longer_."

"Ooo… too late," Scott muttered as he sat up, wincing as his back cracked. He glanced over at John, who was also beginning to sit up. "Hey, John. Good morning."

"What's so _good_ about it, Scotty? Tell me the one thing that makes this morning good and I won't growl at you," the blond muttered.

Scott thought for moment. "Well, it's a brand new day. It's a new day to find Alan."

John gave his older brother a half-smile. He then glanced at his younger brother. "You know what would make my day? Besides finding Alan, that is?"

"What?"

"Dumping a cup of cold water on sleeping beauty's head."

"Don't. You. Dare," Virgil growled from his cot.

Laughter filled the medical bay, but ended quickly as they all remembered why they were there.

"_Jeff, meet me at the corner of Westly and Peterson. We've got food_."

"FAB," Jeff looked at his sons. "So, what do you boys want to do? Get up now and eat or-"

"EAT!"

Jeff raised an eyebrow in amusement before continuing. "Or we can stay here and eat ration bars."

"What kinda food do they got down there?" Virgil asked, still lying down.

"Firehouse food."

"Firehouse food!" John cried. The others glanced at him. "What? It's warm! Unlike the cra- junk we got here." He gave a sideways glance at Virgil. "Plus, we would get sleeping beauty outta bed, too!"

Virgil glared at him, wishing he had a pillow to throw at his older brother. Instead, he settled for sticking his tongue out at him.

John glanced at his older brother and father before letting a small laugh escape his lips. He ran a hand through his hair, coughing on the dust that fell from it. "Man… this stuff is annoying," he muttered.

Jeff nodded. "Who wants a shower before we head out?"

"As much as I would like one, there's no point in getting clean if we are just going to get dirty again," Scott answered as he stood up and stretched. He just wanted to get out of there and find Alan.

"I concur," John whispered as he stood up and cracked his back. He let out a sigh of content and leaned against the wall as he stole a glance at Virgil, who was still lying down.

Lying on his back with his hands tucked behind his head, Virgil started humming something that was easily recognized by the elder Tracys as something Lucy had once sang while she was alive. Fresh tears began to fall from each pair of eyes.

The radio crackled to life again, interrupting the song.

"_Jeff, you'd better hurry up and get down here. Otherwise you won't get any food! The sausage and bacon are going fast!"_ Lt. Shepard laughed.

Virgil jumped up. "Let's go!"

Scott got up as well and echoed his brother. Together, they walked over to the door and glared at their father and brother. "Well? Come on! Let's go eat so we can go search for Alan!" they both called before disappearing down the hall.

Jeff and John chuckled. Nothing can stand in the way between Scott and Virgil when it came to bacon and sausage. _Nothing_.

Jeff spoke into the HT. "Lieutenant Shepard, you might to warn your men that two of my men-"

"-who absolutely love sausage and bacon!" John cut in, earning an amused glance from his father.

"-are coming their way," Jeff finished.

Lt. Shepard let out a laugh. "_10-4. We'll save them each a plate. You guys want the same?_"

"Yes, please. We'll be along shortly. Do you want us to bring along the MiniMole?"

There was a pause before Lt. Shepard answered. "_Yeah, bring it. We're going to need it. Also, __do__ you have any kind of way to get a thermal scan of the area? I think you mentioned it…_"

Jeff handed the radio to John. "Lieutenant Shepard, this is John. We do, but it only covers about ten feet wide. But it goes about thirty feet down. It's confined to my watch, but I don't see what good that will do now. Most… most people wouldn't have survived the night…" '_My baby brother may be included…_' he thought sadly.

"_It'll do more good than you know, kid. More than you know._" There was a pause. "_They haven't found any more survivors, but they sure as hell found a lot of limbs. Just… just get down here…_" There was another pause as another voice was slightly heard. Lt. Shepard let out a startled cry. "_Jeff? They… They continued diggin around where we were last night… They found another kid._"

"Is he alive?" Jeff demanded, taking the HT back.

"_No. From the way they described him… he was completely crushed. It wasn't pretty. One thing they could tell, other than he was from Wharton's, was that he was dark-skinned. It's not Alan. I'm sorry._"

"Don't be. That wasn't Alan. Thank God it wasn't…" Jeff whispered. Clearing his throat, he said in a louder voice that they were on their way. He then signed off and sighed, leaning against a wall.

"Poor kid," John whispered, closing his eyes as if he was blocking the mental image of the kid. Apparently he was unsuccessful as he shuddered. His eyes opened when Jeff put a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Dad, we… we have to find Alan. He's just like me."

Jeff was confused. "What do you mean?"

"He knows what it's like to have to watch you guys go on missions and not be able to do anything physically to help you. But, unlike me, he can't help you with information. He can't do anything but watch and pray that you guys will be all right.

"He knows exactly what I go through. Without him…"

Jeff drew his son into his arms, letting him cry on his shoulder. "Shh…" he whispered.

"What if Alan is just like that kid? What if we never find him?"

"We'll find him. If I know him as well as I think I do, he's probably fuming that we haven't gotten him out yet. He's probably planning he next prank… Or a way to get me to keep him homeschooled…" Then, in a lower voice, he added, "Not that he'll have any trouble with that…"

John had to laugh through his tears. "Let him try and get away from us. We'll lock him away for the rest of his life."

They both laughed, even though they knew that they may never see their little boy alive again…

_7:00 a.m._

**Corner of Westly and Peterson**

Virgil sniffed the air admiringly as he and Scott neared the grill. "Food…" he moaned. His moan was cut off by a yelp as Scott smacked him upside the head.

"Knock it off, Virge! I'm hungry enough as it is without you moaning like a zombie!"

"Fine. _Food, glorious food!_" the pianist mock-sang.

"Virgil!" Scott growled, trying to hide his amusement, but failing miserably at it.

There was a bark of laughter ahead of the two brown-haired Tracy sons. They both looked up and saw Lt. Shepard grinning at them with two plates of sausage, bacon, and eggs balanced on his hands. "You two are really something. Here ya go," he said, handing the plates to the starving Tracys. "Sit anywhere. Your fa- Commander and teammate are on their way with the MiniMole."

Scott and Virgil glanced at each other with guilty expressions.

"Don't worry, guys. They have it covered." He led them to a secluded spot on the ground—even if it was covered in ash, dust, papers… Once they were all sitting and the younger men were eating, Lt. Shepard spoke quietly. "They found another kid last night."

The Tracys began choking on their food. Lt. Shepard pounded them both on the back.

"W-What?" Scott demanded.

"Was it-" Virgil began, his eyes filling with hope.

"No. That much we know. He—the victim—is dead, I'm afraid." He held his arms up. "Your father can tell you the rest," he added quietly. Scott and Virgil both sighed and looked down at their food. Neither felt like eating. "Eat your food. You're going to need your strength for the search today." With that, he got up. "I'm going to go find Jeremy… and a bathroom."

They managed a small smile before forcing themselves to eat. Once done, they both sighed and leaned back against the cement divider in the road.

If someone were to see them now, without knowing any better, they would say that they were brothers. Which, of course, they were, but no one else knew that… or was supposed to.

"Scott?" Virgil asked after a few minutes.

"What?"

"Are we really going to find him? I mean, I'm trying to be strong for everyone else, but I can't help but wonder. So many are dead already… We've only found twenty people alive out of what? 2,000?"

"Virge, calm down. Now is _**not**_ the time for a breakdown. We've found four of Wharton's South Tower group-"

"All but two, those two being a kid named Josh—I think—and Alan," Virgil said bitterly.

Scott continued as if he hadn't been so rudely interrupted. "True, three of them are dead, but… Alan's smart. And he's had Thunderbird training. He knows how to take a fall."

"Not from that high and not with way over three tons of steel and concrete falling on top of him," the pianist interjected.

"What I'm trying to say is that he wouldn't let something like this drag him down. He's probably planning his revenge as we speak." Scott knew that it wasn't true. He had seen the tower collapse. He knew his baby brother had been crushed.

But what he was surprised at was that anyone, let alone _**twenty**_ people, had even survived the collapse.

"You and I both know that-"

Scott clamped a hand over his brother's mouth and told him to shut up. "Don't think like that, you idiot." '_I'm such a hypocrite. Wasn't I just thinking the same thing?_' he silently asked himself. "It's the only hope we have to go on… We can't give that up. We… we just can't…" he finished with a whisper.

Virgil glanced at his brother, a half-smile appearing on his lower jaw. "You're right, as always. Besides, when we get home, I'm teaching the Sprout a new song on the piano. He loved the last one."

The Jeff-clone looked at him, surprised. "Alan plays the piano? Since when?"

Virgil's smile became a full one. "Ever since spring break. I found him hanging around the piano one day. I was hiding behind a door and then suddenly I hear song playing…."

**Flashback**

_Virgil __walked__ down the hallway, looking for his youngest brother to tell him that dinner was ready. He walked past the lounge before doubling back and taking another look. He peered through the doorway, hiding the rest of his body against the doorframe. His eyes widened in disbelief at what he beheld._

_Alan sat at Virgil's grand piano, gazing at the black and white keys in confusion. "Virge makes this look so __**easy**__. Surely I could…" He tested a key experimentally, jumping when a high note escaped the instrument. He quickly glanced around, hoping that no one heard him._

_Virgil quickly ducked against the wall, a small smile plastered on his face. He peered back through the doorway._

_Alan started humming a tune that Virgil easily recognized as a lullaby. And not just __**any**__ lullaby, but the lullaby that their mother used to sing._

_'How does the Sprout remember that?' the pianist wondered in surprise and confusion. He quieted his thoughts, though, in order to listen. Instead of humming, Alan was now putting a "la" in for the words and experimenting with the piano keys._

_The fourteen-year-old was having fun as he "la'ed" and tried to find the note that corresponded with it. Once he had found at least half the notes, he played back the tune, amazed that he could find the notes again._

_His fingers glided across the piano, pressing down on each key softly. He kept going until he couldn't figure out the next note. No matter how many times he "la'ed", he couldn't figure out the next note. He was about to pound the piano in frustration when an arm reached past him and pressed down on a black key. He jumped as if he had been shot._

"_Relax, Sprout."_

_It was the last voice the teen wanted to hear. Virgil was going to kill him for messing with his piano. He slowly looked up and, instead of glaring eyes plotting their __revenge,__ he saw kind honey-brown ones._

"_Scoot over, buddy," his older brother ordered._

_Alan did as he was told and Virgil sat down. "Virgil, I-I-"he began hurriedly._

_Virgil chuckled. "Its okay, Sprout. I don't mind. I'm just a little surprised, that's all." He glanced at the piano and back at his baby brother. "Play it again. I want to see something."_

_Alan did as he was told, making several mistakes and cursing about them._

"_Relax, Allie. I'm __**not**__ going to kill you. I want to __**help**__ you. Try again," the brown-haired Tracy said. "Relax your mind. Let your heart guide you."_

_Alan nodded and began again, relaxing his mind and letting his heart go wild. He wasn't aware of anything else but the song Virgil was "la'ing" and the piano keys. Once he reached where he had stopped before, he quit._

"_Keep going," Virgil gently ordered. Instead of arguing, Alan just attempted to go on, but failed. He didn't know the rest. It just wasn't familiar._

_Virgil's eyes opened and he sighed. "That's when you would fall asleep, isn't it…" he __murmured__._

"_Virge, I'm sorry-" the teen began, not meeting his older brother's eyes._

"_Don't be, Al. I had forgotten Mom's song until you started playing it. I thank you for that, kiddo." Virgil wrapped an arm around the Lucy look-alike's shoulders, drawing him close, and kissed the top of his head before resting his chin on the teen's soft hair._

_Normally, Alan would've shied away from the brotherly show of affection, but this time he was grateful for it. He closed his eyes, let the emotions of the past two days—following the Hood's attack—catch up with him._

_Virgil's eyes widened when he felt Alan begin to shake slightly beneath his chin. It took him a moment to realize what was going on. When he did, he pulled his baby brother closer to him, letting him cry. A few tears fell down his own cheeks as he comforted his baby brother…_

**End Flashback**

"How on Earth does he remember _**that**_?" Scott exclaimed. He remembered Lucy's lullaby well, having heard her sing it so many times to his younger siblings. It was one of his favorite memories of her. He could still hear her strong, but sweet, voice.

Virgil shrugged. "Beats me. All I know is that I felt Mom's presence that day," he grinned. "Alan can't read music worth a darn. He's like Mozart—plays by hearing."

Scott chuckled.

"Hey, guys!" a voice called. Both brothers looked up and saw Jeremy Hart coming towards them with slightly dark bags under his eyes. "Mind if I sit with you?"

"Nope. Go right ahead," Scott replied. He and Virgil shifted their positions slightly to make room for the airman.

"Thanks."

"How'd you sleep last night?" Virgil questioned.

"As well as anyone could, when you're sleeping in an F-150."

The Tracy boys' eyes widened. "You slept in a _truck_?" Virgil exclaimed incredulously. "Aren't you a little… _tall_ to be sleeping in a truck?"

Jeremy laughed. "Well, yeah. But I had nowhere else to stay.

"Well, tonight we'll find you a better place to sleep."

All three men looked up to see Jeff and John walking towards them with full plates.

"I don't want you to go out of your wa-" Jeremy began, but Jeff cut him off with a wave of his hand.

"We'd be happy to help," the Tracy patriarch continued with a smile.

"Well, if you insist. Thanks."

With that, they all sat down and ate together. They also discussed numerous search and rescue strategies among other things.

Rescue workers began coming off the rubble, ending the night shift. They had only been able to go so far into the rubble because of the danger it caused.

The Tracys—pulling on their handkerchiefs and sunglasses—Lt. Shepard, and Jeremy Hart got up, dumped their empty plates in the nearest trash bin, and met up with the other workers of the day shift away from any of the other searchers. It was the same group as yesterday, minus a few that had been injured.

"So, where are we searching today?" Jeremy asked.

"Near the middle of the Two Towers. That's where they found the two Port Authority cops last night. They finished digging out the last cop early this morning," Lt. Shepard answered. Sighing deeply, he continued. "He's the twenty-first that's been pulled out of the rubble… alive…"

"Man! That ain't right!" someone shouted.

"There's thousands of people in there! Where the hell are they?" another yelled.

No one answered. They were all wondering the same thing.

"Another thing," Lt. Shepard picked back up. "There are still two missing out of the Whaton Academy group. From what I've been able to learn, their names are Josh Matthews and-" he broke off with a look at the Tracys, who looked down, forcing back tears. After a moment, he continued. "-and Alan Tracy. Now, you all know the secret of the Thunderbirds' identities, so I have been given permission from them to tell you that they had been in communication with Alan prior to the collapse. The two boys were together in an elevator with Lt. Jerry Wheeling and another fireman."

"Dear God," someone exclaimed. "Jerry was in there? His wife's expecting a baby!"

"I know Samantha's brother and father were in the North Tower. They were helping out on the upper levels. I know they didn't make it out. But her husband? She's gonna be left alone!" another cried.

The Tracys were horrified. They looked down, unable to look at anyone else. Someone's father had been killed because the father was trying to save the Tracy family baby.

Their minds were filled with the memory of the previous day. The last conversation they had with their baby. It took all the strength they had to keep from breaking down.

It was then that Scott spoke up. "I… I would like someone to take me to meet Mrs. Wheeling. Her husband had a message for her… just before I lost contact with them."

Everyone-especially the Tracys-looked at him in surprise and confusion.

"I'll take you later," a woman said, walking over to him. "She's a good friend of mine."

Scott nodded.

Lt. Shepard spoke again. "Now, when we go up there, I want you all to watch each others' backs. Partner up and stick with that person. There are pockets everywhere in this scrap pile. I don't want anyone else being hurt… or killed."

"Agreed," Jeff commented.

A policeman suddenly walked up to the Tracys from behind the group. "Excuse me, but do you know these people? They claim to be part of_International Rescue_."

Everyone turned to look past the police officer, only to see two people, both clad in _International Rescue_ uniforms, one hemmed with pink and the other hemmed with gray. Their faces were covered with surgical masks—again, one pink and one grey. The only things visible of their faces were their eyes and hair.

"Lady P! Parker!" Virgil exclaimed without thinking. "What are you doing here?"

"Jeff? You know these two?" Lt. Shepard asked.

Penny looked at the Tracy father in surprise.

"They _know_, Penny," Jeff sighed. He looked at Lt. Shepard. "Go on up. We'll join you soon."

The lieutenant nodded and turned to the assembled firefighters and other rescuers. "All right, men! Let's move out!"

As the group disappeared into the rubble, Penny began to cry. Immediately, the Tracys surrounded her in a group hug. "Oh, God, Jeff…" she sobbed."We got h-home ye-yesterday and… Oh, God…"

"Shh, Penny…" Jeff comforted, rubbing her back.

"Where was Master Alan when…" Parker began.

"He was on the 77th floor," Scott answered softly. "About three floors below the impact."

"We were communicating with him when it happened. He called me right after the North Tower was hit," John put in. "We lost communications for a few minutes after the South Tower was hit, but he was able to contact us again. He was hurt and pinned under a desk… Then he passed out and we lost communications for nearly twenty minutes."

"He saw the plane as it flew in. He was staring right at it…" Virgil commented, remembering horror-filled eyes his brother had revealed to them all as he apologized for being a "pain in the ass".

"He was in the elevator when the tower collapsed…" Scott whispered.

Parker's eyes filled with horror. All were silent for a few moments, sans Penny's sobs, before he looked around in confusion. "Where's Master Gordon?"

"Gordon fell into the rubble shortly after he had found Eric Santee."

"Who?"

"He was one of the kids from Wharton Academy."

Virgil went on to explain Gordon's current condition.

The group fell silent after that. Each quickly wiping their tears, they began walking towards the pile of rubble once more. They had a job to do. They had a family member to find.

They just prayed they would find him... **_alive_**.

* * *

**OMG! Can it be true? Have I actually updated?**

**YES!**

**Like I said before, I'm _S-O-R-R-Y_ for the long wait. I've just had major writer's block, but now I'm back with some interesting ideas. I'm changing my timeline for the story, too. XD Who knows, Alan may just be found soon. hehehehehehe**

_**Well, while you wait for me to update again, please check out my other fanfics! I've uploaded two new stories for one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE MOVIES: THE COUNTRY BEARS. The first story is "Revenge" and the second is "Keeper of the Stars". Please check them out!**_

**As always, please review!**

**Forever Fenix**


End file.
